


Siren's Lullaby

by buckyismymainman



Series: After Effects Series [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcohol Mentions, Dad! Bucky, Derek is after Mina and Bucky, Don't yell at me, F/M, Fluff, HYDRA is still kicking, Happy Ending, I can't do any more of that medieval torture, Little bit of angst, Mom! Mina, Six year time jump, Swearing, The Avengers doting on Alya, There is no slow burn this time y'all, This is leading up to the spin-off yall, Y'all are getting fluff in chapter two between Bucky and Mina, more characters may be added, parenting as an Avenger is fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2019-07-17 14:49:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 38,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16097888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckyismymainman/pseuds/buckyismymainman
Summary: Mina has been in hiding for the past six years with her daughter Alya.  The two of them leading peaceful lives in Wakanda, Mina occasionally taking down a small HYDRA base.  Bucky has been looking for Mina ever since she left to no avail.  But when he visits Wakanda he discovers her there with his daughter.  Shocked he learns that Mina left to keep him and their child safe while HYDRA was still in play.But now that Mina is returning to the fold HYDRA is hellbent on getting her, Bucky, and Alya for themselves.  Can the team keep the little family safe or will they have to watch as their friends are once again ripped away from them?This is the final installment in the After Effects series.





	1. Chapter 1

The jet landed at the palace and Mina slumped in her seat, a little sigh of relief escaping her.  The mission hadn’t gone exactly according to plan, but it was one HYDRA base down. The third one this month to be exact.  The seventh one over the past two years.  Seven bases and even more just kept popping up.  They really did live up to their name.  

She stood, groaning as she stretched out her sore muscles and popped her back.  She had been sitting for far too long and after all the maneuvers she had pulled back at that base she wasn’t surprised she was so sore.   


Exiting the jet with her bag slung over her shoulder she headed inside in search of T’Challa to tell him how the mission had gone.  She was heading down the hall toward his office when she heard a little girl shouting, “Mommy!” All of a sudden a little blur slammed into her.   


Mina chuckled as she looked down at the small child clinging to her legs.  “Hey kid, did you miss me?”   


She nodded her head, “Uh-huh, you were gone forever.”   


She smiled and ran her fingers through her daughter’s soft locks.  “I was only gone for three days.”   


“Forever!”  The girl complained.   


“Alya Marie Barnes!”  She heard Nakia shout, the other woman’s footsteps echoing off the walls.  “Where did you go now?” She rounded the corner and stopped when she saw Mina standing there.  “How does she always know when you’re home?”   


Mina smiled at T’Challa’s wife.  “I don’t know, but it’s sweet how she always comes running to find me.”  She looked down at the little girl who was grinning up at her, “But you gotta stop running away from Nakia or Shuri or Okoye or whoever happens to be watching you, you have to tell them you’re coming to find me.  Okay?”   


“Okay Mommy,” the little girl nodded, her curls bouncing as she did so.   


Mina looked back at Nakia, “Thanks for watching her for me.”   


“Anytime Mina, I enjoy spending time with her.”  She turned to leave and then added, “T’Challa is in his office.”   


“Thank you!”  She called out after Nakia.  Mina bent down and scooped Alya into her arms.  “Come on kid, let’s go see Uncle T’Challa so Mommy can tell him how her mission went.” The two of them headed down the hall and Mina knocked on the door when they approached.   


“Come in,” T’Challa said.  Mina stepped inside and T’Challa looked up from his paperwork, a relieved look on his face when he saw that Mina was back.  “I see someone made it home safely.”   


“I did,” Mina took a seat, Alya curling up in her lap.  “And it’s gone.”   


T’Challa arched a brow, “The others were there weren’t they?”   


Mina nodded, “They arrived shortly after I did.  Made it hard to do my job, but I managed.”   


“Daddy was there?”  Alya looked up at her mother.   


Mina nodded and bent forward to kiss her daughter’s forehead, “Yeah, Daddy was there.”   


“Steve called, told me there was another player in the field when they arrived.  I figured it was you. I didn’t say anything, but they’re all wondering if it was and why you didn’t speak to them.  I think they all know you’ve been running these solo missions the past two years.”   


Mina sighed, “Alya, sweetheart, can you go play in the library for a bit while Mommy talks with Uncle T’Challa?”  Alya nodded and slipped off her mother’s lap heading for the library. “Did Bucky notice?”   


“Yes of course he did, and it’s only made him all the more determined to find you.  He’s confused as to why you’re helping them take down HYDRA bases and not showing yourself to them.”  T’Challa leaned back in his seat. “He and Steve are coming here within the next few days to speak with me about helping them fight HYDRA.  I’ve stayed out of it for your sake, but I don’t know how much longer I can hold them off.  The threat of HYDRA affects Wakanda as well, and I need to think about my people.”   


“I understand, and I would never ask you to jeopardize your people for me.  I'll fight alongside you if it means that HYDRA never sinks its claws into Wakanda.  Just let me know when they’ll be here and I’ll head out to the house and stay there until they’re gone.”   


T’Challa studied his friend for a moment.  It had been six years since she had arrived at the palace with Shuri telling him that she was pregnant with Bucky's child.  Six years and he had been trying to convince her to tell him the truth for Bucky's and Mina's sakes. “Are you sure that you don’t want to finally tell Bucky the truth?”   


Mina had had this conversation with him, Tony, and Natasha multiply times already, but her answer was always the same.  “I’ve thought about it so many times T’Challa.  And there is nothing I want more than for Bucky to know his daughter and for her to know him, but it’s just not possible right now.  There are still so many HYDRA bases out there, and now that we know Derek is leading the charge I can’t risk putting Alya in the crosshairs.”   


“I think the universe is trying to tell you something, Mina.  It wants you two back together, your daughter is six now. Six years and he doesn’t even know of her existence.  It’s time, you can protect her. All of you can protect her.”   


“I’ll think about it.”  But T’Challa knew that that meant she wasn’t going to tell him.  She was too afraid too. Six years was a long time. Of course she hadn’t expected the HYDRA situation to be a quick fix, but keeping this secret from Bucky for so long was bound to blow up in her face.

“Go spend time with Alya, she misses you when you leave.”  T’Challa reached across the desk and squeezed Mina’s hand. “I’ll let you know when Bucky and Steve are set to arrive.”

Mina nodded and stood to go find her daughter.

 

Bucky tossed his bag onto the bed before throwing himself down on it.  She had been there, he knew she had been. But why hadn’t she come out and shown herself to them?  Why now after all these years was she suddenly shy?

There was a light knocking on the door and Steve poked his head in.  “You okay?”

Bucky pushed himself up onto his elbows and looked at his friend.  “What do you think?”

Steve sighed and came over to sit beside his friend.  “You don’t know it was her.” Six years and nine months, that’s how long it had been since Tony and Natasha had helped Mina escape the compound.  Steve knew that it had been Mina at the base. He knew she had been running solo missions against HYDRA, Tony had told him as much. It was one reason why Steve had chosen this base, he knew Mina would try and hit it next.

He had been hoping she would show herself to them then.  But no such luck.

“It was her,” Bucky looked over at Steve, that haunted look he’d had since Mina had left still there.  “Can I have some time alone? I just want to be alone right now.”

Steve hesitated but stood up and headed out of the room to give his friend some alone time.  When he got back to his and Natasha’s room he found Natasha lounging on the bed waiting for him.  “How is he?”

“He’s hurt and confused.  I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up, Nat.  He wants her back.”

“Tony said she’s still not ready,” Natasha stood up and wrapped her arms around him.  “She has to figure this out on her own. Look HYDRA is still around and Alya is only six.  She can’t defend herself and right now so that means that Wakanda is the safest place for her.”  Natasha had visited Mina a couple times over the years and she loved Alya like she was her own.  She didn't want to see anything happen to that little girl, none of them did.

“You’re right,” Steve rubbed his eyes before placing a kiss on top of Natasha’s head.  “I’m going to take a shower and then go grab dinner.” She watched him walk into the bathroom and dropped her head once the door was shut. 

 

Alya was flipping through a book with pictures in it when Mina stepped into the library.  Her legs were swinging back and forth, not able to reach the ground. She looked up when she heard her mother’s soft footsteps heading her way.  “Mommy, when can I meet Daddy?”  The question didn't catch Mina off guard, they had had this conversation before.  It always came up when Bucky was mentioned and Alya heard.

Mina had never kept anything a secret about Bucky from Alya.  Alya knew that she and Mina were hiding out in Wakanda because bad people were after Daddy and Mina didn’t want them using the knowledge of his daughter against him.  But every now and again Alya would want to know more about her father, would want to meet him, and it broke Mina’s heart. “Soon kid, I promise. Mommy’s just gotta figure some things out before that can happen.”

Alya was quiet, “You never talk about him anymore.”

Mina knelt down in front of her daughter.  It was true, she had stopped talking about Bucky a little over a year ago.  It was becoming harder and harder to tell Alya things about her father.  “What do you want to know?” Mina asked softly.

Alya met her mother’s gaze, her eyes were just like Mina’s, but she took after Bucky the most.  “Anything,” the girl whispered.

Mina tucked some hair behind Alya’s ear, “You look just like him.  And you act like him too.” A small smile appeared on Alya’s face pleased to know that she shared some of her father's traits. “He picked out your middle name one night when we were stargazing.”

“Your thing,” Alya said with a bright smile.

Mina smiled back and nodded, “Yes, our thing.  And we were going to get married before I found out about you.”

Alya's smile slipped a little and she thought for a moment, worried that she might upset her mother with her next question.  “Are you still going to get married?”

“I don’t know lovebug, that’s up to Daddy.”  Mina stood and pulled Alya into her arms. “Have you eaten?”  Alya shook her head. “Then let’s go down to the street vendors, yeah?  I’ll take you to your daddy’s favorite one and tell you about the day we met.”

The two of them headed through the streets of Wakanda, people calling out hellos to Mina and Alya.  Alya was enthusiastic about saying hello back. The street vendor that Bucky had once ordered from greeted Mina warmly and gave her exactly what she wanted.  Then mother and daughter took a seat on the same bench where Mina and Bucky had eaten.

Mina told Alya all about the party Tony Stark and thrown and how her uncle Pietro had teased her about her crush on Bucky.  By the time she had finished she had tears in her eyes. “He liked to call me doll,” she finished. “It was his pet name for me.”

Alya took her mother’s larger hand in her smaller one, “I think Daddy will still love you when he finds us again.”

Mina gave her daughter a watery smile, “I hope you’re right kid.”  She pressed a kiss to her daughter’s forehead and the two of them headed back to their little apartment together.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days later T’Challa came to Mina at her and Alya’s apartment.  She knew it had to be about Steve and Bucky coming for a visit. “Steve and Bucky are on their way here.  They should be arriving within the next few hours.”   


Mina blew out a breath, “All right.  We’ll be at the house then. Just send word once they're gone.”  T’Challa nodded and left. “Alya, start packing. We’re going to our house.”   


Alya rounded the corner, a book in hand.  Mina loved that her daughter was a little bookworm.  “Is someone coming?”   


“Yes, your daddy and Uncle Steve are coming.  So we can’t be here when they arrive.”   


Alya huffed clearly annoyed with her mother, “We should stay.”   


Mina bent down so that she was eye level with her daughter, her hand coming up to stroke Alya’s arm.  “We can’t do that lovebug, and you know why. It’s not safe yet.” Alya merely nodded and headed back to her room to pack her things that she would need.   


Mina stood there for a minute, her heart feeling like it was being squeezed before she pulled herself together and went to pack.   
  


A little while later when Steve, Natasha, and Bucky arrived at the palace and greeted T’Challa warmly when he came out to meet them at the landing pad.  Natasha said a quick hello before slipping off to go to God only knew where. T’Challa knew she was heading to see Mina and Alya, Steve suspected that too, but he kept his mouth shut.  Bucky took notice wondering what would cause his friend to want to slip away so quickly like that.  He had thought it was odd that Natasha wanted to come with them when the trip to Wakanda was just going to be for a few days.

Bucky was soon drawn out of his thoughts by T'Challa approaching him.  “It’s been too long Bucky,” T’Challa said as he took in his friend’s tired appearance.   


Bucky offered him a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.  “I know, but we’ve been busy.”    


“Understandable.  Go get unpacked and then we can talk in private.”  He patted Bucky on the shoulder and watched the two of them walk away.  He then went into his office and wrote the directions to Mina’s little house down on a sheet of paper.   


Steve was the first one to come back and T’Challa pulled him aside, “Go here, it’s where Mina and Alya are currently.  Natasha is probably already there. Just don’t let Bucky follow you okay?”   


Steve took the piece of paper with a slight nod and tucked it into one of the pockets on his jeans.  Bucky appeared a few minutes later asking if T’Challa wanted to talk now. The two men wandered off and Steve followed the instructions to a little town off the main part of the city.  It was close enough that people could still access the amenities of the city, but not be disturbed by the hustle and bustle.   


He followed the road to a little home where the door was wide open letting in the breeze and the sounds from outside.  He could hear female voices drifting out from the house. Mina was laughing and he heard a squeal come from a little girl.  His heartbeat picked up as he realized that it was Alya.

He walked over to the open door and knocked.  “One moment,” a female voice called out. A second later Mina walked around the corner and faltered as she saw her friend and mentor standing in her doorway.  “Steve?”   


“Hey Mina,” he gave her a shy smile.  It had been six years since he had seen her, but she hadn’t aged all that much in the short period of time she had been gone.   


“Mommy!”  A little girl came running down the hall.  “Did you forget to pack my book?”   


Steve’s breath caught in his throat as he looked at the little girl.  She looked so much like Bucky, but she had Mina’s eyes. Even though Natasha and Tony had told him about Mina being pregnant he couldn’t believe the sight before his eyes.  “Alya, baby, we have another guest,” Mina said quietly. Natasha had appeared in the hallway behind Mina, she wanted to see Steve’s reaction to the little girl before him.   


The little girl turned to face Steve, recognition sparking in her eyes.  “Uncle Steve?”   


Steve was still a little shocked to see that girl, let alone hear her call him ‘Uncle Steve’.  “Hello,” he said a bit breathlessly.   


“Alya, why don’t you go play with the others outside?”  The little girl nodded and dashed off. She looked at Steve with a shaky smile and said, “Well I guess the secret’s out now.”   


“You....  You actually have a kid,” his brain was still trying to process this, his eyes flickered back and forth between Natasha and Mina.  It was like the day he found out that Bucky was still alive, his mind was trying to catch up with everything. She looked so much like Bucky.  “They told me, but it just honestly didn’t feel real until just now.”   


“It was a shock to find out, trust me.”  She took a seat on the arm of one of the couches.  They were quiet for a moment before Mina said, “Steve, Bucky can’t know about her.  Not yet.”   


He looked outside to where Alya was playing with the others.  She was laughing and having such a good time with the other children.  “God, she looks so much like him.”   


“She’s got a lot of his personality too.  It’s funny since she’s never spent a moment with him,” Mina chuckled, but there was no joy in it.  “Her name is Alya Marie Barnes.”   


Steve’s head snapped back to Mina, “She knows?”   


“Of course she does, I never kept it a secret from her who her father was.  I don’t want to keep the two of them apart, but I found out I was pregnant after HYDRA reared its ugly head.  I needed Bucky on his A-game and I knew that if he knew about her, he wouldn’t be. He didn’t need the distraction of a child.”   


“Mina, you disappearing didn’t help,” Steve told her quietly.  “He’s been a wreck since you left. The day you disappeared it looked like his whole world had come crumbling down around him.”   


She knew that her disappearance would have an effect on him, she just hoped it wouldn't affect him too badly. “I figured, but if it had just been me I would have stayed.  I had to think about both of them. Wakanda was the safest place to go.”   


“Who else knows about her?”   


Mina gestured to Natasha, “Nat, obviously.  She and Tony helped me get here. Then Peter found out about four years later.  He came to visit Shuri without any warning, Alya and I were with Shuri and of course Peter knew right away.”  He had turned back to watch Alya, he noticed that Bucky had seen her, Steve knew Bucky would follow him, especially after Natasha’s quick departure.  “She’s so smart,” Mina told him, she hadn’t realized that Bucky had appeared yet. “I’m raising a little evil mastermind,” that got the both of them to laugh.   


“Come here, I want you to meet my mommy.”  They heard her say. Mina knew instantly that Bucky had followed Steve here.  Alya and Mina knew everyone in this town, there would be no need for introductions.   


Bucky appeared in the doorway and stood stock still when he took in the sight of Mina sitting on the couch.  “Hey Buck,” Mina said with a watery smile.   


Alya rushed over to her mother and hugged her legs, “I told you he’d find us one day.”   


Mina ruffled her daughter’s hair, “That you did kiddo.  Why don’t you, Auntie Nat, and Uncle Steve go out and play so Mommy can talk with… Daddy?”  She couldn’t meet Bucky’s gaze as she choked out the words.   


Alya was more than happy to comply.  “I told Mommy that he’d find her one day if what she said about him loving her so much was true.”   


Mina closed her eyes and dropped her head so Bucky couldn’t see her tears, but he saw her body shaking with silent sobs.  He rushed over and pulled her into his arms, “Have you been here the entire time doll?”   


Mina nodded her head, “Yes.”   


“Why?  Why didn’t you tell me we were gonna have a child?”  He wanted to be mad at her, but just seeing her safe and healthy with a beautiful little girl was enough to make him melt.  Years of frustration and anguish melting away as he saw the woman he loved sobbing in front of him.   


She didn’t release him, she clung to him like he was her lifeline.  “When HYDRA made a comeback I found out that I was pregnant. I knew that they would try to come for you again, and I didn’t want you being distracted by Alya.  And I knew HYDRA wouldn’t stop hunting you down, and the thought of them using Alya to get to you scared me more than anything. So I did the only thing I knew I could do to keep you both safe.  I ran.”   


Anger burned in Bucky.  HYDRA had already cost him so much, and now it had cost him seeing his daughter grow up and put the woman he loved through so much pain.  “I understand,” he murmured into her hair. She still smelled like books and her flowery perfume, the smell easing all of his worries and anxieties. “I would have done the same thing if I had been in your shoes.”   


He felt her relax, “Bucky, I’ve missed you so much.”   


“I’ve missed you too, doll.”   


She pulled away and looked up at him, he brushed her tears away with his thumbs.  “You almost caught us one time.” She grinned at him. “I had to hide in a broom closet for ten minutes.”   


Bucky’s eyes lit up, “That was you?!”   


She nodded, chuckling lightly, “Yes.  I thought I was done for. When T’Challa finally got you to come with him, I raced to Shuri’s lab and got Alya and ran here.”   


“Just think if I had discovered you then that all this could have been over.”  He kissed the top of her head just savoring her warmth, her scent, everything about her that he had missed.

“Do you want to meet her?”

“I’d love to doll.”  He took her hand not wanting to let her go for an instant.

Mina led him outside and called out to Alya, “Lovebug, could you come here?”

Alya pulled herself away from Steve and raced over. She looked up at her parents’ entwined hands, she grinned.  “Yes, Mommy?”

Both Bucky and Mina bent down so that they were eye level with Alya. “Alya, I’d like you to officially meet your dad, James Buchanan Barnes.”

Bucky wasn’t quite sure what he should do, but the little girl in front of him made the decision for him.  She rushed forward and threw her arms around his neck. He closed his eyes and just held onto her. Steve, Natasha, and Mina all watched with unshed tears in their eyes.

“Did Uncle T’Challa tell you where we were?”  Alya asked as she pulled away from her father, she was still clutching his shirt, she didn’t want him to leave.

Bucky shook his head, “I followed Uncle Steve.”

Steve chuckled, “Of course you did.  What’d you do? Put a tracker on me?”

Bucky looked up at his best friend and grinned, a genuine grin, one that sent warmth spreading through Mina.  “Maybe.”

“Well I guess we all know who would make a terrible spy now,” Natasha grinned at her boyfriend.

“Alya, go get your things, we’re going back home,” there was no point in staying at the house now that Bucky knew they were here.

She gave her mother a concerned look, “Daddy’s coming too right?”

Mina chuckled, “Yes, I don’t think you’ll be rid of him for a while.”

Alya took her father’s metal hand in her flesh one and started dragging him down the hall.  “Come with me, I want to show you my room!” Bucky glanced back at Mina, a soft look on his face as he listened to his daughter ramble on about what they were going to do once they got back to her and Mina’s apartment in the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not torturing you all with a slow burn because I'm tired of doing slow burn for this series. Family reunion was going to happen quickly. Enjoy the fluff while it lasts my friends.


	3. Chapter 3

The group arrived back at Mina’s apartment in the city.  T’Challa and Shuri were already there waiting for them. The two of them were pleasantly surprised to see Bucky carrying Alya.  Mina unlocked the front door and they stepped inside.

“Well I’m glad everything is out in the open at last,” T’Challa said.  “I’ve been trying to get her to come clean for some time now.”

Bucky took a seat on the couch next to Mina, but Alya crawled off his lap and moved over to Shuri who squeezed Alya.  “Yes, we’ve been trying to for ages for her to come clean.”

Bucky’s hand played with the engagement ring that had never left Mina’s finger.  “I looked here when you first disappeared. How did I not find you?”

Shuri timidly raised her hand, “I may have had some help in that.  I disguised her whenever you would visit, and we would hide her in remote locations.  Okoye also helped out with that.” The General of the Dora Milaje had been very helpful in the early years of hiding Mina.

Mina squeezed Bucky’s hand, “I never wanted to leave you, Buck, please understand that.  I just didn’t know what else to do and I ran ensuring that HYDRA wouldn’t find out about Alya.  If she was here and you knew nothing about her then she would be safe.”

“We recorded everything,” Shuri assured him.  She produced a memory stick from her pocket. “A gift, it’s not the same as actually being there, but this way you never missed any important moments of Alya’s life.”

Bucky took the memory stick from Shuri, “Thank you.”  Shuri nodded.

“Now that you know about Alya, my answer is yes.  I will help with HYDRA,” T’Challa told him. “I’ve stayed out of it for Mina’s sake, but now there isn’t any reason for me not to fight.”

Bucky turned to Mina, “You were at the base the other day.”

She looked into his blue eyes, the butterflies that had been present when they first got together still as strong as they were back then.  She gripped the fabric of his shirt with her free hand, “I was. I’ve been helping when I can. You all weren’t supposed to be there.” She looked over at T’Challa, “But I have a feeling someone blabbed.”

Shuri snorted, “Leave it to my brother to meddle.”

“What?”  T’Challa tried to look innocent.  “I gave them the nudge they needed.”

The room groaned.  Alya got off Shuri’s lap and walked over to Natasha.  She was beginning to look sleepy, the excitement from the day tiring her out.  “All right, I think this one needs to go to bed,” Mina walked over and took Alya into her arms.  “We can talk more tomorrow, yeah?” The others agreed and slowly filed out of the apartment. Bucky stayed.

He followed Mina back to Alya’s room which was painted a landscape of New York City, the Avengers’ tower standing tall in the distance.  Mina laid Alya down in the bed and started to sing softly in Italian. Bucky stood there feeling the effects of Mina’s powers as she slowly lulled her daughter to sleep.

Alya yawned and soon her breathing evened out.  Mina turned off the lamp beside Alya’s bed and motioned for Bucky to follow her back into the living room.  “Do you want a drink?” She glanced back at him. “I have some whiskey.”

“Please,” he said as he took a seat on the couch again.

Mina poured two glasses and handed one over to Bucky as she began to sip on her own.  “You must have so many questions.” She stared down at her feet, guilt eating away at her.

“How much does she know about me?”  Obviously, Alya knew he was her dad, but what else did she know?

“Everything,” Mina met his gaze.  “I never kept anything about you from her, well except your time as the Winter Soldier.  I figured that could wait until she was older. She wants to know everything about you.”

“What’s she like?”

Pride shown in Mina’s eyes as she began to start talking about Alya.  “She’s so smart. When I told her that you knew several languages she wanted to know all those languages.  I had to fib a little and told her that you were more fluent in Italian than you actually are. She’s trying to learn Russian.  And she goes to school here in the city. She also loves to help Shuri in her lab. She’s always trying to invent something.”

“Has she manifested any powers yet?”  Bucky was curious to see if their daughter had gotten any of her parents’ abilities.

Mina shook her head, “Not so far, but I’ve had Shuri monitoring her.  Shuri thinks that she’ll manifest when she’s a teenager if not a little sooner.”

Bucky stood up and knelt down in front of Mina.  He took her hand with the ring, “You still wear it.”

She bit her lip, her eyes searching his face trying to gauge where this was going.  “Yeah, I do. What I said in that letter was true. I still love you, I never stopped.”

“Neither did I,” he said softly, his hand coming up to cup her cheek.  

“So,” she had a little grin on her face.  “We still getting married?”

He matched her grin, “Only if that’s what you want, doll?”

Hearing her old pet name again after so long made her heart feel like it was exploding in her chest.  She sat her drink down and threw her arms around Bucky’s neck. “Of course it’s what I want, why else would I still be wearing the ring?  What kind of stupid question is that James Buchanan Barnes?”

She felt Bucky smile against the crook of her neck, “Ah I’ve missed you doll.”

“I’ve missed you too Buck.”

They talked a little bit longer before they headed to bed.  Bucky’s arms going around her waist and holding her tightly against him.  Right before they both fell asleep Bucky and Mina heard the door creak open.  “Mommy? Daddy? Can I sleep with you all?”

Mina and Bucky both sat up.  Mina opened her arms, “Of course lovebug, come on up.”  The little girl crawled up onto the bed and got in between her parents.  Mina kissed the back of her daughter’s head and nestled down for the rest of the night.

Bucky stayed awake and watched the two of them.  He never thought this would be an image he would get to see.  But he was glad this was his current reality.

 

In the morning Mina woke to find Alya snuggled close to Bucky, his arms wrapped protectively around her.  She slipped out of bed and grabbed her phone, snapping a picture of the two of them together. She looked at them for a moment feeling happier than she had in a long time before heading into the kitchen to get breakfast ready.

It was currently summer which meant that Alya didn’t have to be at school.  She was going to let the two of them sleep for as long as possible.

She was almost done with breakfast when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.  “Morning doll,” Bucky’s voice was hoarse with sleep.

“Morning Bucky,” she turned her head and reached up to peck him on the cheek.  “I made Alya’s favorite, brown sugar and cinnamon waffles.”

Bucky chuckled, “And pray tell why are these here favorite?”

“Because it was something Daddy used to make for Mommy.” 

Bucky hummed as he dragged her closer, his nose almost brushing against hers.  “You should have woken me, I could have made them for her.”

“You looked too cute together,” she looped her arms around his neck.  “I didn’t want to disturb such a sweet image.”

A moment later they heard the sound of Alya running down the hall.  She let out a little breath when she saw Bucky standing there, “I thought it was all a dream.”

“No lovebug,” Mina said.  “Not a dream, and I made your favorite.”  She showed Alya a plate of waffles just for her.

Alya excitedly took the plate from her mother and headed over to the table where she dug in.  “What are we going to do today?” Alya looked at both her parents wondering what they two of them had in store for her.  It was their first day together as a family.

“Why don’t we watch the videos that Auntie Shuri gave to Daddy last night?”  Mina looked between the two of them. “How does that sound?”

“It sounds perfect,” Bucky responded.  

“Okay,” Alya smiled as she quickly finished off her breakfast.  Mina asked Bucky to clean up while she helped Alya with her morning routine.  The two of them were in the bathroom together brushing their teeth. Alya spit out her toothpaste, “Are you happy, Mommy?”

Mina spit out her own toothpaste and smiled, “I am, kid.  Are you?”

She nodded, “I’m glad Daddy’s here.”

“I bet,” she squeezed Alya.  “Maybe later we can all go out to eat together and Daddy can tell you stories about Mommy.”

“Yeah!”  Alya was excited to hear about what her mom was like from someone other that T’Challa, Shuri, Peter, or Natasha.

They joined Bucky in the living room who had gotten the videos cued up on the TV.  They sat there for hours just watching birthdays, first steps, first words, every major milestone that Alya had had over the past six years.  There was even one of Alya on her first day of school, and at school functions. She was a little social butterfly.

Bucky watched in awe as his daughter’s life events passed him by.  Mina was watching him though, seeing what his reactions to things were.  Once it was over he smiled down at her, “She’s had quite the exciting life here in Wakanda.”

“I have!”  Alya agreed.  “But I want to go to New York and see where you and Mommy grew up.”

“She’s only ever been to London,” Mina explained.  “We have a friend there.” Mina had stayed in touch with Sarah Bishop over the past six years and would sometimes go to visit the older woman.  She was like a grandma to Alya.

“Grandma Sarah lives there,” Alya told her father.  “She’s mommy’s friend.”

“Why don’t we all go grab dinner?”  It had gotten dark while they had been watching the movies.  “And we can tell Daddy all about Sarah then, okay? So go get changed.”  All of them were still in their PJs. 

Alya dashed off and Bucky and Mina headed for the master bedroom.  T’Challa had had Bucky’s things transferred to Mina’s apartment the night before assuming he would be staying there for the duration of his time in Wakanda.

Once they were all dressed the three of them headed down to the street vendors to grab something to eat and to tell Bucky about their times in Wakanda and London.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to add some flashbacks in the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

_ Mina disembarked from the plane with Alya asleep in her arms.  The four year old always managed to fall asleep on planes though Mina had no idea how.  She grabbed their bags from luggage claim and headed into the main portion of the airport. _

_ “Mina!”  She heard Sarah’s voice call out to her.  Mina broke out into a smile as she hurried over to where Sarah was waiting for the two of them.  “Oh it’s so good to see you, Mina, here let me take your bags.” She grabbed Mina’s and Alya’s luggage.  “How was your flight?” _

_ “Uneventful,” Mina said as she buckled Alya into a car seat in the back of Sarah’s car.  The young girl was still fast asleep despite the noise of the airport and the city beyond. _

_ “That’s good,” Sarah merged into traffic and quickly glanced at Mina.  “And how are you?” _

_ “Tired,” Mina said with a laugh.  She had been busy these past few weeks training with the Dora Milaje and T’Challa.  She was preparing to go back into the field and start helping with HYDRA. Alya was old enough now that she didn’t need Mina there twenty-four seven. _

_ “Mommy?”  Alya’s sleepy voice came from the back.  “Are we in London?” _

_ Mina turned around to see her daughter blinking open her eyes, a little yawn escaping her.  “We are lovebug. We’re with Grandma Sarah.” _

_ “Hello Alya,” Sarah glanced in the rearview mirror at the little girl.  “I’m glad you and your mum made it safely.” _

_ Alya nodded before closing her eyes.  Mina chuckled, “Flights always take it out of her.”  They arrived at Sarah’s townhome a few minutes later and Mina took Alya straight up to their room before coming back downstairs to chat with Sarah.  _

_ Sarah pushed a cup of tea in front of Mina, “How have you really been?”  Sarah knew there was only so much that Mina was willing to say in front of her daughter. _

_ “I’ve been better, to be honest.  I’ve been training a lot more, I’m getting ready to go back out into the field, and it’s taken a lot out of me.” _

_ “Are you sure that’s for the best?”  Sarah asked with concern. “Will it be safe?” _

_ “It’s never been safe, Sarah.  But it’s been four years and I miss him.  Alya asks about him, and I hate keeping the two of them apart.  If I can help end this fight sooner then I’m going to do it.” _

_ Sarah studied her for a moment and then relented, “Is there anything you need me to do?” _

_ Mina slid an envelope over to Sarah, “I’ve made arrangements in case things happen to me.  T’Challa has promised to follow this to a T. In here it says that if something happens to me before I’m back with the Avengers then you get Alya until T’Challa deems it appropriate for her to be with her father.” _

_ Sarah gave her a horrified look, “Mina--” _

_ “Please Sarah, I need to know that you’ll take care of her,” the desperation in Mina’s voice made Sarah’s heart break. _

_ “I promise, but what about your parents?”  Alia and Marcus Gaspari knew about their grandchild and even had seen her on occasions, but they had to be careful since Bucky still visited them frequently and would notice the children’s toys and pictures of Alya. _

_ “Their contact information is in there, and they can come to see her whenever they want, but Bucky is still a figure in their life.  The minute he sees Alya, he’ll know. They’ve agreed to my terms.” _

_ “I hate that we even have to discuss this,” she shook her head and looked over the papers she had pulled out of the folder.  “This should not be how our life is.” _

_ Mina reached across the table and laid her hands on top of Sarah’s.  “It’s the price I have to pay to keep the world safe from bad people.  To make sure my daughter grows up in a world that isn’t under HYDRA’s regime.” _

_ The two of them fell quiet not quite sure what to say next. _

 

_ The bell rang on the door to Little Slice of Napoli.  Alia Gaspari watched as the man her daughter loved exited, his shoulders slumped in defeat.  “It shouldn’t be like this Marcus,” she whispered in Italian. “They should be together, they should be raising Alya together.” _

_ Marcus came up and wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist.  “This is how it has to be, you know this.” He squeezed her.  “We have to trust our daughter.” _

_ Meanwhile, Bucky was driving back to the compound.  His mind stuck on thoughts of Mina. He had just gotten back from a mission and had gone to see her parents.  He always hoped they would slip up and give him some hint as to where she was and her reasoning for leaving, but they were good at making sure that he didn’t know where their daughter was. _

_ It was frustrating, and it didn’t help that Natasha and Tony knew where she went and why she had left. _

_ He got back to the compound and heard Peter’s voice drifting out from the common room.  “She’s fine, it was one hell of a shock though.” _

_ Bucky opened the door to the common room, Peter falling silent as he turned to see who had joined them.  “Who’s fine?” Although he had a sneaking suspicion of who the kid was talking about. _

_ “A friend of mine from school.  I ran into her a few days ago,” Peter tried lying, but he knew Bucky saw right through the lie. _

_ “Right, don’t tell me the truth, but I know you’re talking about Mina.  And I don’t get what’s so bad that you all are keeping her away from me.”  He turned and stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. _

_ Steve hung his head, “I don’t know how much longer I can keep lying to him.” _

_ Natasha pinched his arm, “For as long as Mina needs us to.  Don’t make us regret telling you, Rogers.” _

_ He glared at his girlfriend, but didn’t say anything else on the subject. _

 

_ Mina was walking down the hall of the palace when she heard T’Challa’s voice coming her way.  Then she heard another voice, one that belonged to Bucky. Mina’s heart picked up speed and she quickly ducked into a random storage closet in the hallway.   _

_ The voices grew closer and closer and she held her breath fearing that even the slightest noise coming from her would alert Bucky to her presence. _

_ “I’m telling you they all know where she is, but they won’t tell me,” they were right outside now.  “And I don’t get what’s so bad that they can’t tell me why she had to leave, why she couldn’t tell me herself.  She’s always running to protect me, but we’re better as a team.” _

_ “She must have her reasons, and you just need to trust her,” T’Challa responded. _

_ Bucky went to say something when his footsteps faltered right outside the door.  “Do you smell that?” _

_ Mina’s heart stopped and she closed her eyes, silently praying that he would just move on.  “Smell what?” She could hear the nervous undercurrent to T’Challa’s voice. _

_ “It’s her perfume,” Bucky turned to T’Challa.  “T’Challa, is she here?” _

_ “Not knowing I could not say,” it wasn’t a complete lie.  He had no idea if she was there in that current moment, but he knew she had been because he could also smell her perfume.  “She’s not here Bucky, come along.” _

_ Mina hid in the closet for another ten minutes just to make sure that he wasn’t there before making her escape to Shuri’s lab to get Alya and go to their little home away from the city until T’Challa or Shuri told her the coast was clear. _

 

Bucky watched as Mina and Alya walked together, Alya’s hand holding onto her mother’s.  They were talking softly, Mina pointing out things and telling Alya what they were in Italian.  Alya would respond with simple phrases, Mina praising her.

They reached the street vendors and Alya walked over to one ordering herself something to eat.  Bucky stood next to Mina as he watched her. “She’s so unafraid,” he commented as he watched her take the food from the vendor and calmly start eating it as she headed back to her parents.

“She definitely didn’t get that from me,” Mina said with a laugh.  “I was never this adventurous as a kid.” 

Alya offered some of her food to Bucky which he gladly accepted.  Bucky and Mina then went to get their own dinner and took their spots on a bench.  Alya talked about her trips to London and the surrounding areas in England when she went to visit Sarah with Mina.

“She’s really nice, and she bakes me sweets!”  Alya swung her legs back and forth on the bench, she had finished her food before her parents.

“Sarah owns a cake shop in London,” Mina explained.  “I met her on the plane after I left the compound. She’s been a great help.”

“Mommy loves visiting her,” Alya smiled at her mom.  “We were gonna go soon.” She looked back at Bucky, “You should come!”

Bucky looked up at Mina who was watching him, “Do you want me to come along?”

Mina nodded her head, “Of course, I’m sure Sarah would love to meet you.”  She gathered up their trash and threw it away in one of the trash cans. “She’s heard all about you, she might as well meet you.”

Bucky wrapped his arms around Mina’s waist, “And what have you been telling her about me, doll?”

“Everything,” Alya said with a little nod to her head.  Bucky looked down and laughed at the very serious look on his daughter’s face.  

Mina twisted out of Bucky’s grasp and picked up Alya, “All right lovebug, don’t give away all of Mommy’s secrets.”  She began to pepper Alya’s face with kisses, the girl squealing at her mother to stop.

“Mina!  Alya!” The three of them turned to see Steve and Natasha walking toward them, hand in hand.  “Enjoying a family dinner together?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, we just finished,” Bucky told his friend.

“Want us to watch Alya for the night?”  Natasha asked as Alya was passed over to her.  Natasha rubbed her nose against Alya’s smiling brightly as the little girl giggled.

“Do you mind?”  Mina asked a little unsure.

Steve nodded, “The two of you could use a night to yourselves.  We can handle this one. Plus it’ll give me a chance to tell Alya all about her mom’s first day as an Avenger.”

Alya turned to her mother, “I’ll be fine Mommy, I want to hear about you from Uncle Steve.”

Mina laughed, “All right, but if you need me, I’m only a phone call away.”  Alya waved away her mother and began peppering Steve and Natasha questions about her parents.  Bucky pulled Mina closer as she stared after her little girl who was paying close attention to Steve.  “I’ve been dismissed.”

Bucky laughed and kissed the side of her head, “She’s just excited, and look at how happy Steve is.”  Steve was beaming at the little girl, “I can tell you right now he loves the fact that she calls him ‘Uncle Steve’.”

The two of them walked through the streets back to Mina’s apartment.  In the elevator she turned to Bucky ready to say something when she saw he was watching her.  “Buck,” she stepped a bit closer, she felt herself rising up on her toes.

His face came down and their lips brushed.  Mina shivered, her heart feeling like it was going to beat out of her chest.  They deepened the kiss and a second later the elevator dinged. The two of them pulled apart and quickly exited the elevator.  

Inside the apartment they resumed their heated kiss, both of them carefully making their way toward Mina’s room.  When they were standing at the foot of the bed Bucky gently brushed some of Mina’s hair back, his eyes searching her face.  “I’ve missed you so much, Mina.”

She ran her fingers through his hair, it was shorter again, but he had some scruff on his face where he hadn’t shaved in a few days.  “I missed you too Buck,” she whispered before she kissed him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm debating if I want to post the first chapter of my next Bucky fanfic or not, or if I should wait until I finish this one.


	5. Chapter 5

Mina woke up to the soft morning light of Wakanda.  Bucky’s arms were wrapped around her, his breathing even.  She reached up and stroked her thumb across his cheek. His head turned and kissed her palm, his eyes fluttering open.

“Morning doll,” he whispered.

“Morning Buck,” she whispered back.  “How’d you sleep?”

“Better than I have in a long time,” he kissed her forehead.  “And you?”

“Same, the first year was hard for me after I left.  It was weird going to bed and not having you there with me.  Having Alya helped, but there were still times when I wished you were there.”  She snuggled closer, breathing in his shampoo and body wash.

“I’m sorry you had to go through this alone doll, that you felt like this was the only way.”

“My only regret is keeping the two of you apart for so long,” she confessed.

They laid in bed a little bit longer before they both got up and got dressed, heading to the palace to check on the others and see how their night with Alya went.  When they arrived Steve and Natasha had seated Alya between them, she was eating a bowl of cereal, still sleepy from the previous night.

“Did you all tire her out?”  Mina placed her hands on her hips and looked between her two friends.

“Auntie Nat taught me how to hide in plain sight,” Alya yawned.  “Then she couldn’t find me.”

“She’s a natural at it Mina, I think she has a future as a spy.”

“Oh no,” Bucky said.  “No talks of her becoming a spy.”  He shook his head, “She’s going to be a doctor or a lawyer or something less dangerous.”

Mina put a comforting hand on Bucky’s arm, “I think that choice lies with Alya, babe.  I don’t want her in our line of work either, but ultimately when she reaches that age she’s going to have to decide for herself what she’s going to do.”

“I could work for the Avengers,” Alya said cheerfully.  “Be just like you and Mommy.”

“Let’s change the subject,” Mina interjected as she saw the panic rising up inside of Bucky.  She knew he wouldn’t like the idea of their daughter joining their ranks when she became older.  He didn’t want to put his daughter in a similar position that he and Mina were currently in.

Steve picked Alya up and placed her on his lap, “She was a perfect angel.  Went to sleep almost immediately.”

“She’s good about that.  Did you tell her any stories about me?”  Mina took her seat across from Steve and started grabbing things from the breakfast spread in front of them.

“He told me about the time you tried to fly,” Alya said with a giggle.  “Said you landed on him.”

Mina smiled and shook her head as the memory surfaced, “I bit off a little more than I could chew.  And if I remember correctly it was yours and Wanda’s fault that I crash landed in the first place because you all kept encouraging me to go higher and to move more.”

Alya looked up at Steve and he looked down at her grinning, “That is a teenie tiny bit true.”

Alya looked back at her mother, “When will I get powers?”

Mina froze with her toast halfway to her mouth, “Uh, I don’t know lovebug.  Maybe when you're older.” She looked at Bucky nervously. She hadn’t told her daughter how she had gotten her abilities.  “You’re still a little young right now.”

T’Challa entered the room with a tablet and coffee mug in hand.  He murmured good morning, but continued to read. T’Challa wasn’t a morning person and he chose not to speak until he had finished reading the news and his first cup of coffee.

When he was done he looked up at the little group assembled at his table, “When do you all plan to head back to the compound?  I’m not trying to get rid of you, but I know you only came to try to get me to join the fight, and then of course once you discovered Mina here you stayed a little bit longer.”

“We were thinking later today,” Steve said.  He looked at Mina, “Will you be going with us?”

The thought hadn’t really crossed her mind.  She knew that they had to go back, but was she really ready to face the others?  To go back to the fold? She looked at Bucky who was watching with a hopeful expression.  “Yes, I’ll be going with you.” The smile that broke out on Bucky’s face made all her anxieties melt away.

“Does that mean I get to go too?”  Alya asked, excitement in her eyes.

“Yes lovebug, if you think I’m leaving you alone for one second you are wrong.  I’d come back and find that you and Shuri had terrorized poor T’Challa.” The group chuckled.  “We’ll head home after breakfast and pack everything we’ll need.”

Bucky went home with Alya and Mina, he followed his daughter to her room and helped her pack some of her clothes and toys away.  Mina finished her packing and wheeled her bags into the living room, looking around the little apartment she had called home for the past six years.  It was a little bittersweet to be leaving it, but T’Challa said that it would be kept empty for her use whenever she came back to Wakanda and didn’t want to stay at the palace.

Bucky and Alya came out a few minutes later carrying Alya’s bags.  “Okay Mommy, I have everything I need, can we go now?”

Mina laughed and nodded her head, “Yes lovebug, we can go now.”

Delighted Alya trailed along beside her parents as they made their way to the palace where the others were waiting for them by the Quinjet.  Steve helped with the bags and Alya and Mina said their goodbyes to their friends.

Once they boarded the jet Steve took off.  Mina looked over to where Alya had curled up in Bucky’s lap.  Her fingers were dancing over the metal of her father’s arm. “Auntie Shuri made this, didn’t she?”

“Yes she did,” Bucky replied.  “She likes making upgrades to it.”

Alya hummed and then yawned.  Mina didn’t know what it was but the girl would always fall asleep once in the air.  Within a few minutes she was out like a light and Bucky cradled her gently in his arms.

“You didn’t tell the others right?”  Mina looked toward the front of the Quinjet where Natasha and Steve were piloting the thing.

“No, we thought it would be more fun to see their shocked looks,” Natasha looked back and grinned.  “I did text Peter though so he’d be there when you showed up.”

It had been several months since Mina had last seen Peter.  She was looking forward to seeing him again. The plane ride was quiet as they continued over the Atlantic to New York.  Bucky didn’t dare move, too afraid that he would disturb the sleeping girl in his arms.

At one point Mina moved so that she was sitting next to them, her head on his shoulder, and she dozed off as well.

Several hours later Bucky was gently shaking her awake.  “We’re almost home,” he whispered in her ear.

She nodded and stretched her arms above her head before gently nudging Alya, “Kid, we’re almost there.  Can you wake up for Mommy?”

The little girl groaned and shifted in her father’s arms, “Five more minutes.”

“She’s definitely your daughter,” Bucky shot a cheeky grin at Mina.  “You never want to get up either.”

She playfully shoved Bucky, “You’re one to talk Buck.  A bomb could go off and you’d still be dead to the world.”

“She’s got a point Buck,” Steve called over his shoulder.  “You do sleep like the dead.”

“That’s right gang up on me,” he pouted.  “I expected more from you, Steve.”

There was a round of laughter and Alya slowly brought herself out of her sleepy daze.  The jet landed and Bucky held onto Alya. Steve and Natasha would exit first and then Mina followed by Bucky and Alya.  

The group had gathered onto the landing pad at Steve’s request.  Tony had already suspected the reasoning behind this and when he saw Mina his suspicions were proven correct.  The others gasped when they saw Mina.

She gave them a little wave, “Hey guys, long time no see.”

Then their eyes shifted to Bucky and they all stared open mouthed except for Peter and Tony.  Alya squirmed out of Bucky’s arms. “Uncle Peter!” She ran over and threw herself at Peter who picked her up and swung her around.

“What’s up Short Stack?”  He squeezed her tightly.

“You knew?”  Sam asked incredulously.  “You knew and you didn’t tell any of us?”

“Mina asked me not to,” Peter said with a shrug.

Mina walked over and gave Peter a hug, “Hey Spidey-Boy.”

“Hey Witchy Woman,” he kissed her cheek and sat Alya down on the ground.

“Hi Uncle Tony,” Alya gave him a hug next.  Tony hadn’t seen her as much as Peter had, but she still knew who he was.  She had been around when her mother had video called him on a few occasions.

“Little Mina, you have some explaining to do,” Pietro crossed his arms over his chest, a frown on his face.  “Like why you didn’t tell me you were going to have a child.”

She smiled at her old friend and walked over to give him a hug, “I’m sorry Piet, but the less of you that knew the better.”

San-ha walked over and hugged Mina next, her and Pietro had been married a few years prior.  “It’s good to see you again Mina.”

“You too San-ha.”  Mina smiled at her fellow Siren.  “Let’s take this inside and we can all make introductions and get reacquainted there.”

The men helped carry the bags in and sat them in the main hall while Mina led Alya down the hall and pointed things out.  “Say hello to F.R.I.D.A.Y.,” she told her daughter.

“Hello F.R.I.D.A.Y.,” Alya said a bit shyly.  She had heard of the AI and was a little freaked out by the lady in the ceiling as she liked to put it.

“Hello Alya, it is nice to meet you.”

Alya hid behind her mother, peeking up at the ceiling where the voice had come from.  Mina ruffled her hair and continued to lead her to the common room. Not a lot had changed since she had been away.  The room still housed a large TV, couches, and a bookshelf that housed just a few of the books that were kept in the Avengers’ compound.

Alya sat in between her parents and looked at the members that had assembled.  She had heard about each of them from her mother, but it was a little scary to be sitting in front of them all like this.  She felt like she was on display as they all looked between her, Bucky, and Mina.

“Is there anything specific that you all would like to know?”  Mina asked after a moment of silence.

“I’m guessing she’s why you left,” Wanda said.  “But why not stay? We could have helped protect you and her from HYDRA.”

Mina knew that that was going to be a popular question.  “I felt like this was better. I didn’t need HYDRA knowing about her, and I didn’t want Bucky distracted.  T’Challa promised to protect us and so far he has.”

Sam turned to Peter, “And you knew but just decided not to tell any of us?”

Peter shrugged his shoulders, “She asked me not to tell anyone, and that’s exactly what I did.”

“He’s not the only one that knew,” Tony said.  “Natasha and I were the ones that helped get her to Wakanda.”

“And I also knew,” Steve said.  He shot an apologetic look at Bucky.  “We all wanted to tell, but this was up to Mina, it wasn’t our secret to tell.”

“Are you going to run away again?”  Pietro asked.

Mina shook her head, “Not if I can help it.”

“Good,” he said with a grin.  “I missed my Little Mina.”

“Are you and Bucky still planning on getting married?”  Wanda asked.

The two of them shared a look, their cheeks tinted pink.  “Yeah we are,” Bucky said. “But we haven’t talked about it.  I was more concerned about this one.  We haven’t really talked about what happens now.”

“Now we finish what we started,” Mina said.  “We take out the rest of HYDRA… and then I retire for good.”  No one seemed shocked by this. “I’ll still help out if you all are in a bind.  Think of me like Clint, but I need to be there for Alya, and I just want to make sure she stays safe.”

“I think this goes without saying, but I will also be retiring.”  Mina looked over at Bucky, she had figured he may retire, but she thought that they would at least talk about what would happen before making any decisions.  He saw the look on Mina’s face, “White picket fence doll. I promised you we’d do the whole nine yards.”

Tears welled up in Mina’s eyes and she smiled at him before leaning over and kissing his cheek.  She was so relieved that he still wanted all of that with her. Tony cleared his throat breaking the moment.  “Mina, would you like to go see your parents?”

She nodded her head, “Yes, I would.  It’s been a little over a year since I’ve seen them.”

“We can continue this Q and A later folks,” Tony said as he ushered the others out of the room.  “Mina and Alya have more people they need to visit before the day is over.” The others didn’t complain knowing that the Gasparis deserved to see their daughter and granddaughter.  The rest of them had all the time in the world to learn more about what had happened in the past six years when Mina and Alya returned home.

Tony tossed the keys to a Toyota at Bucky, “Take my car, it has a car seat in it.”

“Thanks Tony,” Mina said before he disappeared out the door.  “Are you ready to go see Grandma and Grandpa?” Mina asked Alya.  She nodded and the three of them headed to the garage before making the drive out to Little Slice of Napoli to see Mina’s parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking about rewriting After Effects. I started working on it today as I waited for my dental appointment (I had a filling done and now my jaw is sore), and I might go forward with this.... I'm gonna miss writing about these two and I'm thinking about trying to make their story longer and flesh it out more. I'll still leave the original version posted, and just make a new section for the updated version.


	6. Chapter 6

For once it was Marcus that was in the front of the pizzeria when Mina, Bucky, and Alya walked in.  His eyes widened at the sight of his daughter and granddaughter. Tears welling up in his eyes. “Alia!  Alia, come quick!”

“What is it, Marcus?”  Alia Gaspari rounded the corner to see her daughter standing there with a shy smile on her face.

“Hi Ma, hi Dad,” she said with a little wave.

Both her parents rushed over and pulled her in for a hug.  It had been so long since they had last seen her in person.  Phone calls between them were frequent, but it was nothing like seeing their daughter in person.

“We’ve missed you,” Alia said as she kissed her daughter’s cheeks repeatedly.

“I missed you too,” Mina buried her face into her mother’s shoulder savoring the smell of her mother’s Chanel No. 5 perfume.  She pulled away and turned to Alya, “Come say hi to Grandma and Grandpa.”

Alya rushed over and hugged her grandparents.  Once the tearful reunion was over Marcus told them to pick a spot at any of the tables and that he would begin preparing the pizzas.  Alya sat between her parents and waited patiently for her grandparents' famous pizza.

Alia talked to her granddaughter about Wakanda and asked her if she thought she was going to get homesick.  Alya said no, that Wakanda was only a plane ride away. She was going to miss her friends more than anything.

“She’s become close with Shuri,” Mina told her mother as Marcus brought over two cheese pizzas and some plates.  “The two of them are practically inseparable sometimes.”

Marcus looked at Bucky, “And how are you doing?”  Alia and Marcus knew how hard these last few years had been on Bucky, and they could tell that he was feeling better already.

“Better than I was,” he leaned over and kissed Mina’s cheek, Alya smiling up at how affectionate her parents were.

“You should have seen Daddy’s face when he saw me!”  Alya giggled as she recalled the day her father walked over to her.  “He looked like he had seen a ghost.”

“It was a shock to see her there.  I had followed Steve because I knew something was already up when Natasha disappeared and then so did Steve.  Then there they were.” Seeing Alya playing with the kids had been a shock. She had had her back turned toward him, but then she had turned and she had Mina’s eyes.  And God did she look like him.

“We’re glad you’re all back together,” Alia said with a smile.  “And we’re glad to see you three so happy and healthy.”

Bucky looked up at his future in-laws and asked, “How long did you know?”

Marcus and Alia shared a looked with one another before turning back to Bucky.  “For a while,” Alia said averting her gaze. “We wanted to tell you just like the others, but we couldn’t go against what Mina wanted.”

“It was for the best,” Marcus said with a nod.  “We had to protect our daughter and granddaughter.”  Bucky couldn’t fault them for that. He was beginning to understand that need to protect his family.  He had only known this little girl for two days, but he would do anything for her.

They continued to eat and talk about how things were going to go from here.  Alia mentioned the wedding and Mina’s cheeks turned red. “We haven’t really discussed it, Mom.  We’ve been back together for two days.”

“Never too late to start planning again,” Alia told her daughter with a smile.

“Can I help?”  Alya asked.

“Sure lovebug,” Mina responded whilst glaring at her mother.  “But Daddy and I still have a lot of things we need to talk about together, grown up stuff.  The wedding won’t be happening for a while.”

Alya crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at her mother, “You said you loved Daddy, what do you need to talk about?”

Bucky chuckled and looked at Mina with a smile, “Yeah doll, what do we need to talk about?”

Mina glared at Bucky, “What?  Are you saying that you’d marry me right now?  No discussions about the future? About the current situation we’re facing with HYDRA?  No game plan whatsoever?”

Bucky took Mina’s hands and swept his fingers over the back of her fingers.  “We weren’t going to have a big wedding in the first place. We talked about having it in the park, Tony presiding over it, and you even said you weren’t going to wear white!  If we could I’d go to the compound right now and marry you today.”

Mina blinked at Bucky, shocked by the ferocity of his voice, the sincerity in his eyes.  “Okay,” she said.

He stared at her wide eyes, “What?”

“Let’s do it.  Call Tony, make the arrangements.  We need our marriage license, but if you’re serious then let’s do this.  Let’s get married.”

Bucky’s face broke out into the biggest smile she had ever seen and she couldn’t help but smile back.  He took Alya and headed back to the compound, Alia promised to bring Mina back later. She had something she wanted to show her.

The two of them headed back to the Gaspari’s home where Alia led her daughter up to the attic.  “I’ve held onto this for years hoping that maybe one day you’d wear it to your wedding. You can tell me no if you want.”  She pulled out a box and handed it over to her daughter. “This was the dress that I married your father in. I made some adjustments to it, but if you wish, you can wear it.”

Mina lifted the lid to the box and ran her fingers over the delicate satin.  Tears filled her eyes and she looked up at her mother, “Will you help me put it on?”

Alia nodded and the two of them head back downstairs to put the dress on.  It was a floor length gown with lace sleeves, and pearl buttons running from her lower back up to the base of her neck.  The front dipped slightly in a sweetheart neckline.  Mina stared at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t believe she was wearing her mother’s dress.  “I need to make a few adjustments, but what do you think?”

Mina turned and smiled at her mom, “I love it.”

The two women shared a smile and Alia began her work promising that it would be ready by the time the wedding happened.  Mina stepped out of the dress and put her other clothes back on. Once Alia had gently laid the dress down she took Mina back to the compound.

Natasha was there waiting in the common room with Alya when Mina stepped inside.  “How’d it go?” Natasha asked, she had already heard the news and she was thrilled for her friend.

“It went well, I’ll be wearing my mother’s dress.”  She took a seat next to the two of them. “And did this one behave?”

Alya nodded, “Auntie Nat and I watched The Little Mermaid.”

Natasha confirmed that they had watched The Little Mermaid together.  A few minutes later Bucky appeared, “Can I steal Mommy for a bit?” He asked his daughter.

“Yep!  Auntie Nat promised me a Disney movie marathon.”  She smiled up at her aunt. “Right Auntie Nat.”

Natasha’s face became very serious, “Oh yes, we were going to binge watch all the movies.  So you two go have fun.” She winked at Mina who narrowed her eyes at Natasha.

“All right, we’ll be back for her in a bit.”  She walked over to Bucky and took his outstretched hand.  “So what are we going to do?”

“Our thing,” he lifted her hand and kissed the back of it as they stepped into the elevator that would take them to the roof.  When they stepped out Mina discovered that not much had changed since she had left. Bucky had set it up like it had been the night Tony set up a little date for them.  Etta James was singing softly in the background. “Dance with me?” He whispered her in her ear.

She nodded and allowed him to pull her closer.  She rested her head on his chest and allowed him to twirl her around the roof with ease.  They danced through a couple of songs before he pulled her over to the couch where they curled up together.  

She looked up at him to find that he was staring at her, his mouth tipped up into a smile and she couldn’t help but bring him down for a kiss.  He gladly returned it, kissing her softly at first, savoring the feeling of her lips against his once again. He could taste her sugar cookie chapstick and he pulled her body closer so that she was straddling his lap.

Mina threaded her fingers through his hair and tugged causing him to groan.  His hands dipped below the fabric of her shirt and slid up her back, Mina shivered.  It had been so long since someone had touched her in such an intimate fashion. She had missed the feeling of him exploring every inch of her skin with his hands and mouth.

“I love you,” she pulled away slightly to look at him.

He removed one of his hands from under her shirt to stroke her cheek with his thumb, “I love you too, doll.”  He brought her face back down to his and in one swift move switched their positions so that he was hovering over top of her.

They stayed on the roof for several hours, murmuring sweet nothings to one another, and getting reacquainted in an intimate way.  When they had finished, Bucky brushed his fingers over some of the love bites he had left on her skin. He made sure to leave them where they wouldn’t be visible to others, especially their daughter.

“Couldn’t have done that a few years ago,” she giggled, pressing her body closer to his.

He gave her a goofy grin, “I didn’t have to worry about a six year old kid back then.”  He kissed the crook of her neck, nipping lightly with his teeth.

She dug her nails into his back, “Peter, Peter was a kid.”

“Peter was seventeen, not stupid,” Bucky said.  “I’m pretty sure he knew what a hickey was.”

Mina slapped his bare arm, “It was still embarrassing!”

“Oh-ho-ho, he came in with some hickeys one time.  None of us let him live it down. Don’t worry we got him back for teasing you when you had hickeys.”  He leaned over and handed her her discarded clothes. “We should probably relieve Natasha of her forced babysitter duty.”

“Alya is a little evil mastermind, I’m telling you.  Natasha never promised her a Disney movie marathon, Alya just wanted us to have some alone time.”

“I may have put her up to it.  I bribed her with sweets.” He grinned sheepishly at Mina.

That got her to laugh, “All you had to do was ask me, Bucky.  Trust me, I needed this little alone time with you too.” She kissed his cheek and slipped off his lap so she could put her clothes on.

Once they were both fully dressed and presentable they headed down to the common room where they found both Natasha and Alya curled up on the couch fast asleep.  Natasha’s arms were wrapped around Alya in a protective embrace. Steve was sitting in one of the chairs looking at the two of them with a found look on his face.

Bucky touched Steve’s shoulder, “We’re heading to bed, just tell Natasha she can bring Alya by when they wake up.”

“Will do Buck,” Steve promised.

Bucky and Mina headed up to their room and changed for bed.  They curled up under the covers and fell asleep several minutes later, both of them wondering if Alya was going to make an appearance tonight or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I had this halfway finished, but I was so tired and couldn't get the rest of the chapter out. I've gotten the first five (I think it's five it could be four) chapters of the rewrite finished for After Effects! I probably won't be posting that for a while though.


	7. Chapter 7

“No!  The two of you know the rules,” Natasha scolded as she shoved Mina down the hall toward her room.  The girls were throwing a little bachelorette slumber party with Mina where they would gossip about the happenings inside the compound and watch cheesy movies together.  Alya was invited as well so they had to keep it PG.

“Just one last hug!”  Mina turned to look at Bucky desperately wishing he would come to her rescue, but he, Steve, Sam, Peter, and Pietro were all trying not to chuckle at the worried look on Mina’s face.

“Nope!”  Natasha began to push harder.  “We’re doing this right!”

Mina was tugged into Natasha’s room by the waiting women there.  Each one of them giggling over Alya and her stories about her mother.  “One time when we were in London she was asked out on a date.” Alya was telling them, it had been when she was five and they had gone to see Sarah.  “If looks could kill then that guy would be dead right now.”

Natasha snorted, “What happened?”  She held out her arms and let Alya crawl into her lap, her fingers running through Alya’s soft hair.

“We were out shopping with Sarah, she rushed off to grab something and left me standing in the middle of the produce aisle with Alya.  We were talking about what we should get when this man walks up and says excuse me. I turn thinking that maybe he’s lost and just needs help because he wasn’t British.  Turns out it was some college kid and he asked me if I wanted to go out for a pint.” She rolled her eyes as she recalled the events. “I politely said no, that I was only visiting with a friend and then I was heading back home.  He said that the fact that I was a single mother didn’t bother him and that he loved kids.” The women in the room groaned. “I insisted I was not single, I was engaged to the love of my life and finally when Sarah came back she managed to shoo him off.”

“Why not just use your abilities on him?”  San-ha asked. “That seems like it would be the easiest solution.”

“I was trying to fly under the radar, and I don’t like using it on civilians unless I need to.  If he had kept insisting or gotten violent then yes I would have.” To be honest ever since The Enclave’s demise Mina hated using her Siren abilities.  When taking down the HYDRA bases she only ever used her gifts that were given to her genetically, and not through a serum.

The conversation went on about what they were going to do after the wedding, and Mina responded truthfully, she didn’t know.  Bucky and she hadn’t gotten that far. HYDRA was a threat and going on a honeymoon seemed wrong.

“Kill two birds with one stone like we did when we got you two crazy kids together,” Natasha said.  “Greece has a couple of HYDRA bases, and we all know that’s where the two of you had planned on going.”

“But we won’t have any backup.  It’ll just be the two of us, something could go wrong.”

“Mina, may we remind you that you took down several bases  _ by yourself _ while you weren’t with us?”  Wanda asked.

Mina snorted, “All right, I concede I did do that.  And I’ll think about it, but we also have to think about lovebug over there.”  Mina pointed to Alya who had fallen asleep in Natasha’s arms. “I don’t know if I can leave her here.”

“Then don’t.  Take her to that Sarah woman you were talking about earlier,” Natasha said.

That was an idea.  “I’ll think about it,” she said, and the others knew that that was the end of the discussion.  

The conversation died down after that and soon they were all curled up asleep on the bed or floor.  Mina’s mind was whirling with thoughts of tomorrow and how she was actually going to be married to Bucky.  She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

 

Mina was woken the next morning to the others buzzing with activity as they got dressed.  Alia had shown up with her dress in hand. Marcus was with the boys at the park setting it up before coming back and getting dressed themselves.  

Natasha went to Mina’s room and grabbed everything she would need and came back and pushed Mina into the bathroom.  Once Mina was out of the shower her mother combed it out and then dried it. 

The girls were fussing over Alya and which dress they should put her in.  Alya choose a light green dress and a pair of her sandals. Natasha and the girls got dressed into their bridesmaids' ensembles and then helped Mina with her makeup and hair.

Once that was done Alia handed over the dress and Mina slipped it on with her mother doing the buttons up the back.  San-ha was snapping pictures, saving them to show Bucky later when he could finally look at Mina without consequences.

When it was all said and done Mina turned to the mirror and looked at herself.  They had left her hair down mostly, only part of it was tied back, each of them knowing Buckpreferreded it down.  Her eyes were smoky bringing out the color and her lips were a light pink. The dress hugged her curves and flared out at the bottom.

“You look really pretty Mommy,” Alya said as she latched onto to her mother.  

“Thanks, lovebug,” she smiled down at her daughter.

There was a knock on the door.  “Can we come in?” Marcus called out.

“Only if Bucky isn’t with you,” Alia told her husband.

“He’s not.  He’s with Steve upstairs getting dressed.”  The door opened and Marcus entered followed by Peter, Pietro, Tony, and Pepper.  Marcus got teary eyed when he saw his daughter wearing his wife’s wedding dress. “You look beautiful, Little One.”  He walked over and kissed both her cheeks.

“Dad,” she whined.  “Don’t make me cry. Nat will kill you if you mess up my makeup.”

Natasha chuckled, “She’s not wrong.”

Pietro came over and took both her hands in his, “You look beautiful Little Mina.”  He admired the dress, “Barnes won’t be able to take his eyes off of you.”

Peter hugged Mina tightly, “I’m happy for you, Mina.  I know this wasn’t an easy place to get to with all you’ve been through over the years, but you deserve it.”

“Thanks, kid,” she responded with a smile as she pulled away.  She ruffled his hair and he complained about her messing it up.

Tony walked over, “Glad to see some things never change around her.”  He kissed Mina’s cheeks and told her she looked wonderful, Pepper agreeing with her husband.

There was another knock on the door and this time Sam poked his head in.  He grinned when he saw Mina. “It’s time people.”

Everyone made their way down the stairs to the pathway that would lead them to the park.  Peter, Pietro, Tony, Sam, and Pepper wished her luck as they went to take their places. Alia shared one final kiss with her daughter before following after them.

The girls winked at her as they started the porcession.  Marcus turned to his daughter and cupped her cheek with his hand, “I want you to know how proud I am of you and how much I love you.”  He brought her in for a hug, “Enjoy today and don’t worry about the troubles of tomorrow. You deserve every moment of happiness you can get and I know how much you love Bucky.  And I wish you all the happiness in the world as the two of you enter this new chapter of your lives.”

“Thank you Dad,” she whispered trying not to let her emotions get the better of her.

He gave her a smile and said, “Let’s not keep them waiting.”

The two of them made their way into the park and Mina almost gasped at how it had transformed.  The picnic tables were gone replaced with benches were her friends and coworkers sat. She saw Thor, Loki, Hope, Scott, T’Challa, Shuri, Okoye, Nakia, Ayo, several members of the Dora Milaje, Helen, Bruce, and several of the Sirens including Amara sitting there with smiles on their faces.

Alya had tossed down pale pink rose petals and at the end of the aisle there stood Bucky who had the biggest, goofiest grin on his face.  Steve clapped him on the shoulder, smiling at Mina as well. Tony was standing behind Bucky waiting to do his thing.

Marcus and Mina came to a stop in front of everyone and he kissed her cheek before going to take a seat next to Alia and Alya.  Bucky helped Mina over to the little dias that they were all standing on. “I’m not going to do the whole ‘dearly beloved’ spiel,” Tony said, gaining a few laughs from people.  “We are here today to see Mina and Bucky finally tying the knot and doing something they should have done ages ago.

“I’ve known Mina for many years, and I’ve known Bucky for far longer.  The two of them are for lack of better words soulmates, always finding their way back to one another.  They’ve been through a lot over the years, seperated and brought back together again, and I think we can all agree that we’re hoping this is the last time they have to find their way back together again.”  More chuckles from everyone. “I’m not going to go one much longer, I’m going to let them take over now. The two of them have prepared vows for each other.”

Bucky gripped Mina’s hands, “When we first met I was so enamored by you, and I know we didn’t start off on the best of terms with me trying to push you away, but I’m glad you were stubborn enough to not let me do that.”  He traced his thumbs over the backs of her hands. “I love you Mina Gaspari, with all my heart, and I can’t think of another person I would rather spend my life with.”

“Not even Dot?”  She joked with a wide smile.

Bucky returned it, and heard Steve trying to cover up a laugh with a cough, “Not even Dot, doll.  You’re stuck with me for the rest of your life.”

“Good,” she responded.  “Because you’re the only person I want to be with.  I looked up to you as a teenager, wanted to join the military to protect people like you did in World War II.  When I got the opportunity to work with you it was like a dream come true. Then we fell in love, and you were there for me in my darkest moments.  I want to see where life takes us Bucky Barnes, and I’m not afraid of what comes our way as long as we face it down together. Whether it be The Enclave or HYDRA or Thanos, we’re in this together.”

Tony stepped forward, “Who has the rings?”  Pietro zipped over, holding the rings out to Mina and Bucky.  “Do you James Buchanan Barnes promise to take care of Mina Gaspari in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, better or worse for the rest of your days?”

“I do,” he said as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

“And do you Mina Danae Gaspari take James Buchanan Barnes in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, better or worse for the rest of your days?”

“I do,” she said as she slipped the ring onto Bucky’s finger.

“I now, happily, pronounce you husband and wife.  You may kiss the bride.”

Bucky scooped Mina into his arms and kissed her softly, her hands coming to cup his face as his went straight for her hair like she knew they would.  Their friends and family cheered for them as they stood their locked in an embrace.

He pulled away first looking into her eyes, smiling happily, “So how does it feel to finally be Mrs. Mina Barnes?”

“It’s a relief Mr. Barnes,” she giggled back.  “I love you Bucky.”

“I love you too Mina,” he kissed her again causing the cheers to grow louder.  The two of them broke apart and smiled happily at their friends, someone snapping photos.  Bucky and Mina held out their arms and Alya rushed over. They held her between them as more photos were snapped of the two of them.

“Now we can all go back to the compound and party!”  Tony announced with a clap of his hands. Bucky and Mina walked hand in hand back to the compound, Mina feeling as if she were floating on air.  Alya and the others were ahead of them, giving the two newly weds a moment alone before the party began.

They paused outside, “I can’t wait to get you alone Mrs. Barnes.”

“Soon,” she promised with a chaste kiss.  “Let’s go have some fun, Mr. Barnes.” She tugged him inside, the two of them laughing as they hurried down the hall to the common room where things were already in full swing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're finally married y'all!!! Such a relief honestly. Promise no more disappearing acts for these two, they're stuck together forever now. Also I've started posting chapters for the After Effects rewrite so go check that out if you haven't.


	8. Chapter 8

Bucky and Mina entered the room to find that the party had already started without them.  Steve was dancing with Alya in his arms, Pietro was twirling San-ha around the room with expert ease, and her parents were helping serve food to those who wanted it.

Tony stopped the music when the two of them entered the room, “The lovebirds have finally joined us!”  He announced into a microphone. Everyone in the room turned to face Mina and Bucky and cheered. “All right make room, these two have to share their first dance together as husband and wife.”

Everyone cleared away from the makeshift dance floor and Bucky walked over hand in hand with Mina.  They took their positions as Etta James’s  _ A Sunday Kind of Love  _ played through the speakers.  The two of them smiled at one another like stargazing was their thing, this was their song.  “Bringing back any memories doll?”  Bucky whispered against her ear.

“Yeah,” she said softly.  “I believe this is where I remembered the night we almost shared our first kiss.”

“It is,” he said with a soft chuckle.  “I still haven’t let Peter live that down.”

Mina felt a laugh bubble up inside her, but she bit her lip to hold it back.  She looked up at Bucky to find his eyes shining with happiness. He took the opportunity to lean down and kiss her.  When he pulled away he rested his forehead on hers and the two of them continued to sway to the music.

The song ended and Marcus came over wanting a dance with his daughter.  Bucky stepped away and let Marcus take over. Father and daughter danced to another slow song, this one in Italian.  

Steve walked over to where Bucky was standing, “Did you ever think this was going to happen?”

Bucky looked over at his best friend, his brother in everything but blood.  “No, when she disappeared six years ago all my dreams of a family and some normalcy went out the door.  But then there she was in Wakanda, and now here we are. Married,” he chuckled. “It almost feels like a dream.”

“Trust me, Buck, it’s not a dream.”

Natasha walked over carrying Alya who instantly wanted to be in her father’s arms.  “Daddy do you want to dance with me?”

“I’d love too darling,” he kissed the side of her head and took her out onto the dancefloor where they swayed to the music.  Mina looked over and saw the two of them together, her heart melting at the sight of father and daughter together.

“Go join them,” Marcus kissed his daughter’s cheek before returning to his wife’s side.

Mina joined Alya and Bucky on the dancefloor, the others of the group slowly coming over to dance as well.  Mina couldn’t have asked for a better day than this. Nothing she could have ever pictured would top this moment.

Soon the music changed into a something a little more upbeat and Mina went to change so she wouldn’t be stepping on her dress while dancing.  The girls had picked out a dress from the forties for her and she stepped back into the room, Bucky’s eyes immediately landing on her, widening at the sight of the familiar clothing from his own time.

She walked over to him and held out her hands, “Dance with me, Sergeant Barnes?”

He pulled her close and the two of them began to dance something similar to the jitterbug.  Steve and Natasha joined them followed by Wanda and Vision. Everyone cheered the couples on.  Alya watched her parents in fascination. Sitting there she wished that she would have a love like theirs.

She wanted someone to look at her like her dad looked at her mom and vice versa.  Marcus and Alia slipped out of the room to get Alya’s bags from the front entrance and put them in their car.  She would be staying with her grandparents that night and for awhile while her parents were away in Greece for their honeymoon.

When they came back the dancing had stopped and Mina and Bucky were saying goodbye to their daughter.  They promised to call her as often as they could and that they would be back before she knew it.

Once Alya left the party continued on for another hour or two before Mina and Bucky were released from their friends partying.  As they exited the room they were pelted with confetti, the two of them laughing as they ducked for cover.

When they reached their room Bucky scooped Mina into his arms and gently nudged the door open.  She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his cheek. “I love you,” she whispered against his ear.

He turned his face to hers and smiled, “And I love you, Mrs. Barnes.”  He would never get tired of saying that.

 

The next morning Bucky woke up before Mina.  She was curled up beside him, a content smile on her face as she laid there asleep.  Her wedding ring was shining in the morning light. Bucky kissed the top of her head.

They were married.  He still couldn’t believe it.  

“Good morning Sergeant Barnes,” she blinked her eyes open and gave him a lazy smile.  “How did you sleep?”

He bent down and kissed her, “I slept fine, Mrs. Barnes.  And you?”

She ran a hand down his bare chest, and placed a kiss at the crook of his neck, “Someone tired me out last night, so I slept like the dead.”

He rolled them so that he was on top, his hands on either side of her head, and she giggled.  “I did, did I?”

She nodded, biting her bottom lip.  “Yes and that poor dress I had on,” she glanced over at the torn material of the dress on her chair.  “So glad it wasn’t my mother’s dress.”

Bucky smirked, “I would have been careful with that one.”  He kissed her forehead and then her nose, then trailed his lips along her jaw and neck careful to avoid her lips.  “I’m sure we can find you another one if you really liked it.”

“You sure you won’t rip that one either?”  She teased.

He looked back up at her and grinned mischievously, “No promises doll.”

They laid in bed together, just sharing a lazy morning before taking a shower and getting dressed.  The others were in the kitchen when they came down, and they cheered. “So how was the first night of marital bliss?”  Tony asked as he scooped some of his cereal onto his spoon.

“It was good Tony, and that’s all you’re gonna get,” Mina said as she grabbed a bag of her Pop Tarts.

“Oh come on, give us details, the kid isn’t here to hear anything,” Natasha begged.  “Did you break the bed?”

“Natasha!”  Bucky, Mina, and Steve all said together.

She laughed at the flustered looks on the three of their faces.  “Oh come on Rogers, you and I have--”

“And we’re leaving,” Mina said as she tugged on Bucky’s arm.  “We don’t need to hear about yours and Steve’s kinky love life.”

“It’s not kinky!”  Steve said in abject horror.  “Natasha stop laughing it’s not funny!”

The two of them were still arguing as Bucky and Mina made it back to the elevator to go pack for their trip.  They ate as they worked and Mina called Alya to see how she was doing at her grandparents’ house. She sounded like she was having fun, Alia had taken over and Marcus was making his granddaughter laugh.  Apparently, he was talking his daughter and her shenagins when she was Alya’s age. 

“Dad!  Don’t give her any ideas!”  Mina yelled.

“No promises,” Marcus chuckled before going back upstairs with Alya to get her ready for the day.

“You two enjoy your honeymoon and we’ll take good care of her.  Natasha and Steve promised to take her for a few days and Sam said he would help keep an eye on things in case something happens.”

Mina was glad that her friends had all agreed to help watch over Alya while she and Bucky were away.  “Okay, and if you need to Alya knows Sarah Bishop’s number by heart. I’ll pay the long distance fees. If you need us, get in contact with the team, and they’ll help you.  Since we’re not just going for our honeymoon we’ll be going dark some.” She told her mother a few more things she needed to know before hanging up and handing Bucky her bags.

The two of them headed down to the Quinjet together where the others were waiting to tell them goodbye.  Bucky tossed their bags inside and they all hugged before Mina and Bucky headed off to Greece together.

As the the jet ascended into the sky the team stayed on the landing pad and waved to the jet as it disappeared.  Once it was no longer in sight they went back inside to start their days, all of them relieved that Bucky and Mina were back together for good this time.

 

Alya and her grandparents went to the park together that afternoon.  Alya and Marcus played catch while Alia watched from a shady spot under a tree.  She was remembering some of the few times they had gone to London when Mina was going to be there to see their daughter.

They had a hard time keeping it from Bucky about what they were going and who they were going to see.  They had always told him that they were going to Italy for a few days to visit some family that still lived there.

Alia was relieved that their days of secrecy are over.

“Grandpa, can I go play with those children over there?”  Alya asked as she pointed to some children her age playing soccer on the the field.  When she was in London and even in Wakanda she had played with the other kids there.

“Of course sweetheart, go have fun, just stay in sight,” he told her.

Alya rushed over to where the other kids were.  It was an even mix of boys and girls. “Can I join you?”  She asked.

“Sure,” a dark haired boy said.  “My name's Jack, and this is Tony, Marissa, Leighton, Connor, and Becca.”

Alya introduced herself and joined up with the girls.  She was pretty good and the others were impressed with her skill.  “Where’d you learn to play like that?” Connor asked.

“I grew up in Wakanda,” she answered truthfully.  “They loved playing soccer.”

The other kids were amazed and asked her all kinds of questions.  Alya knew she couldn’t reveal too much because her mom had told her that there were certain things others shouldn’t know.  She couldn’t tell them she knew T’Challa or Shuri, or that she had helped Shuri in her lab from time to time. She also couldn’t tell them that her mother and father were Avengers.

“My mom works for the government,” Alya lied.  “She went there as part of building relations between the US and Wakanda.”

“That’s so cool,” Marissa said.  “I wish my mom would travel for her job.”

Alya and the others talked until Marcus called his granddaughter back over and told her it was time to go.  

Before she could run off Jack caught her hand, “Will you be back?”  He asked. “We all had fun today.”

Alya shrugged, “I don’t know, but I’ll try.”  She hurried off to her grandparents and left, glancing back at Jack and the others one last time.  She smiled, and talked excitedly about her new friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna tell you right now one or two of the kids that Alya met today are gonna be important in the spinoff.


	9. Chapter 9

Tony had planned Bucky and Mina’s honeymoon for two whole weeks.  They would be staying in Santorini for a few days to just rest and relax, then they would head to Crete where they would face their first HYDRA base.  After there they would head to Mykonos for a few days of rest and relaxation then they would be on their way to Athens to take down their second HYDRA base.

After that there was only one more to deal with and then they would be free to either come home or extend their honeymoon for a few more days.  Mina had asked if they could stop in London for a few days on their way back to New York. Bucky had agreed because he wanted to meet the famous Sarah Bishop.  He was a little nervous, but Mina promised that Sarah would love him. 

When the jet landed and they found the little home that Tony had rented for them Mina collapsed onto the bed and let out a content sigh.  “We’re finally here,” she looked over at Bucky who hadn’t unceremoniously collapsed onto the bed like his wife.

“I knew we’d make it one day,” he leaned over and kissed her, pulling her closer to they were flush against one another.  “What do you want to do first, doll?”

She bumped his nose with hers, and grazed her lips over his.  She wondered if he could feel her heart pounding. “First I want to shower and then I want to sleep.”

“Oh thank God,” he breathed.  “I’m so tired doll.”

She laughed, “You’re age finally catching up to you?”  He pinched her on the butt making her squeal. “Bucky!”

He grinned at her, “Yes sweetcheeks?”

She glared at him, “That is the first age joke I have made since we’ve gotten back together, and I’m married to you now.  I’m allowed to tease you.”

He pecked her on the lips, “Yeah, yeah keep telling yourself that.”  He rolled out of bed and started to strip. Mina propped herself up on her elbow and watched him as he tossed his shirt on the floor, and then began unzipping his pants.  He felt her eyes on him and turned around with a smirk on his face, “Can I help you with something?”

Mina smirked right back, “Just enjoying the show Mr. Barnes, pay no attention to me.”

He snorted and started walking toward the ensuite bathroom.  “If you want to continue watching this striptease, you have to join me in the bathroom.”

She huffed and stayed on the bed, trying to be stubborn, but her desire to be with Bucky won out in the end and she joined him.  They showered and changed into their pajamas and curled up in bed. 

“Get some rest doll, I’ve got some things planned for tomorrow,” he told her in a sleepy tone.

“They better involve us staying in this bed all damn day,” she mumbled.  “Because we’re not leaving.”

Bucky chuckled and held her a bit tighter.  He already knew they would be doing nothing tomorrow but lounging in bed all day, but he liked teasing her and the way her nose scrunched up in annoyance.   “We’ll see.”

“No ‘we’ll see’ to it James Barnes, if I hear one word about getting out of this bed to do more than shower, brush our teeth, eat, and whatever else we need to do around this house then I am going to kick you and let you go do whatever it is you want to do alone.”

“Just get some rest, tomorrow will be fun, I promise.”  Mina didn’t say anything else on the subject, she just closed her eyes and fell asleep to the warm, comforting presence of Bucky.

 

In the morning Mina woke up to an empty bed.  She sat up confused until she smelled food. She smiled and plopped back against the pillows, a contented sigh escaping her.  She looked over at the clock and saw that it was already ten in the morning. She hadn’t been woken up by Alya running in a begging her to make her the waffles that Bucky used to make for her.

Inside the door slid open and revealed a shirtless Bucky carrying a tray laden with food.  Mina sat up and smiled at him, “And what did Chef Barnes make for breakfast this morning?”

He sat the tray down to reveal waffles, eggs, some toast, grape juice, and coffee for the two of them.  “Your favorite,” he told her.

She hummed and grabbed a plate and piled it with food.  “If you’re trying to butter me up, it’s gonna take more than this.”

Bucky carefully maneuvered onto the bed and placed a kiss to her shoulder, “Whatever do you mean?”

She turned her head to look at him, “What do you have planned today James?”

He grinned at her, “Already annoyed with me, doll?  We haven’t even been married a day!”

She took his face between her hands and looked him in the eyes, “We’re not leaving this bed, do you hear me?  I was serious last night.”

“Oh I am well aware of that doll,” he pecked her lips.  “And we’re not going to.”

“Good,” she sniffed.

The two of them ate and laughed when Mina took the whipped cream and smeared it over Bucky’s face.  She saw the look on his face and knew he was planning something because he had a gleam in his eye.  

“Bucky,” she said slowly.  “Don’t you dare do what I think you’re about to do.”

He leaped toward her and began smothering her with kisses and getting the sticky whip cream everywhere.  She squealed and tried to fight him off, but he was on top of her and he was a lot bigger than she was. 

When he was satisfied with his work he pulled away and grinned down at her.  “What’re you gonna do now doll?”

She shook her head and tried to contain her giggles.  “You’re an evil man James Buchanan Barnes.” She pulled his face down and licked some of the whipped cream off the corner of his mouth.  “And you got me all sticky.”

He looked at her, his pupils dilated so she could barely see the blue.  “And you are a little tease, Mina Danae Barnes.”

She smiled, her stomach fluttering at the sound of her married name.  “I am, and you’ve got to put up with it for the rest of your life.”

He pecked her on the lips, “Gladly.”

He helped her up and cleaned up the mess he had made, and she returned the favor.  After a little relaxation they called Alya to see how she was doing. She excitedly told them about her new friends.  She told them that she had met them at the park when she had gone with her grandparents.

Bucky was happy that she was excited about her friends and that she was having a good time with her grandparents.  He had been worried about leaving her behind like that, but she seemed to be doing fine.

Mina ran her fingers through his hair and watched as he and his daughter video chatted.  He watched her with rapt attention like he was committing everything to memory. Knowing his background he probably was.

It broke her heart to think that HYDRA was still out there and if they got their hands on him that they would make him forget his daughter.  She was more worried about him forgetting her and their friends rather than him forgetting he ever loved her. She didn’t want to see him go through that.  Steve had told her it had been hard enough for him when he discovered Bucky was alive and couldn’t remember their friendship.

Mina placed a featherlight kiss to his shoulder and Bucky glanced at her, seeing the look in her eyes.  He gave her a small smile to tell her that he was all right before turning his attention back to Alya who hadn’t noticed the shared moment between her parents.

When they got off the phone with Alya, Mina moved so that she was straddling his lap, looking into his eyes and gently resting her forehead against his.  “I can’t say I’m not a little worried about what could happen.”

He stroked her back, “It’s not gonna happen again, and even if it did you would come for me, just like I came for you.”

“But this isn’t like The Enclave, Buck.  HYDRA is bigger and more dangerous. What if they use us against you, what if they make you come after us?  I know that if anything were to happen to us while you were the Winter Soldier and you woke up that you would never forgive yourself, and I don’t want you to have to go through that kind of pain.”

He kissed her, tasting her salty tears, neither of them realizing that they had started to cry.  “It won’t happen. The last time they had me was by pure luck. They found me almost dead in a ravine, and they used me.  I won’t allow myself to be captured again, and times are different now. The second I got captured I know you and the others would come for me.”

She held onto him tightly, she never wanted to leave this room.  She wanted to keep him here forever so that he would be safe from the dangers that lurked outside these four walls.  “I won’t let them hurt you.”

“And I won’t let them hurt you or Alya.  You're my girls, and I would do anything to protect you.”  He smoothed some hair away from her face. “Now no more serious talk, we’re on our honeymoon and this is supposed to be enjoyable.”  He rolled them so that he was on top looking down at her. “Now I seem to remember something about wanting a boy and a girl. We have a little girl, so why don’t we try for kid number two and pray it’ll be a little boy.”

She smiled up at him.  “I don’t know James, I don’t know if you could handle two kids.  If Alya’s sibling is anything like her we’re gonna have a crazy time keeping them in line.”

“I think we can manage, and if we can’t we’ll just pawn them off on the others for a few hours so they’re not our problem,” he smirked at her.

“I like the way your devious mind works James,” she pulled him down and kissed the corner of his mouth, her lips trailing across his skin.  “And I promise you’ll get to see this one grow up,” she whispered against his ear.

“Good,” he growled as he captured her lips with his.

Later that night, after a day of just being wrapped up in one another Bucky announced that they were going out to eat.  Mina didn’t mind. She had gotten her lazy day in bed and she wanted to get dolled up and go out and explore the nightlife of Santorini.

She put on a dark green cocktail dress and a pair of black pumps.  She was putting on a pair of diamond earrings when Bucky stepped into the bathroom and whistled appreciatively.  “You clean up nicely, doll.” 

She took in his slicked back hair and the suit that he was wearing and smiled adoringly at him, “So do you, Bucky.”  She kissed his cheek and left the bathroom to brush out her hair. She looked back at him, “Would you mind if I put it up?”

He chuckled, “Go ahead, you don’t have to ask my permission.  I just prefer it down is all.” He walked over and stood behind her, his hands resting on her waist.  “Plus if you put it up that means I get to tug it down tonight when we get back.”

Butterflies erupted in her stomach as she recalled the events from earlier tonight.  “Didn’t get enough earlier there Buck?”

He grinned at her in the mirror, “Hey we’re gonna have two kids soon, we’ll never have a moment’s privacy.  I gotta get in as much alone time with you as I can.”

She turned around and rested her hand on his cheek.  “Don’t forget we have a ton of people we can hand them over to, so I don’t believe we’ll be running low on alone time for a while.”

He kissed her sweetly and pulled away so she could finish putting her hair up, and the two of them left for the restaurant that Bucky had made reservations at.  They had one of the best seats in the house so they could watch the sunset as they ate.

After dinner they went to one of the bars and danced the night away before stumbling back to their home for the few days that they would be here.  The two of them were tipsy from the drinks they had had and were sharing sloppy kisses as Bucky tried to unlock the door.  “Doll, you’re distracting me.”

She chuckled as she continued to place kisses along his neck.  “Just open the door, Sergeant Barnes.”

He shivered and finally managed to shove the key in the lock, the two of them stumbling inside and barely making it to the bedroom without ripping the other’s clothes off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to update. I just needed time to write it out and figure out how I wanted it to end. And sorry for the little bit of angst I threw in there.  
> Also the other story that I'm working on for Bucky was going to have a different female character as his love interest, but I keep writing Mina instead of the name I choose for her, so guess what? I'm officially making the new story about her and Bucky. That's right, Mina Gaspari will be the OC for Blood Moon. I just can't write him with another woman if we're being honest. I've fallen in love with these two and I can't keep writing about another woman when I keep typing in Mina's name lol.  
> ***Blood Moon is in no way attached to the After Effects series, it will be completely new and will not link back to this story.


	10. Chapter 10

 

Bucky and Mina’s time in Santorini came to an end and the two of them traveled to Crete where the first base was.  The two of them got out of the honeymoon mindset and got into Avenger mode. The two of them didn’t want to let their earlier fun affect their mission.

Mina stood on a hill and looked down at the base from the hill she was standing on.  She was invisible and far enough away that she hadn’t triggered their sensors. She could observe them from there.

She could see the guards on the roof doing their rounds.  They were holding weapons that looked like they had been created by The Enclave.  They brought back memories. “Buck? You there?” She whispered into her comm device.

“I am doll, you okay?”

“I’m fine, but they’re carrying weapons created by The Enclave.  They’re not normal weapons, they’ve been enhanced.” She squinted, she wished that she could get closer to the building, but she was at the safest distance she could be right now.

“All right, can you tell me anything else?”  Bucky was currently back at the hotel which was working as their home base.  He hadn’t wanted her to go alone, but since she was the only one that could turn invisible he let her go with the promise he would be there in a heartbeat if things went south.

“No, I’m not close enough, and I can’t get closer.”  She started to back away. “I’m heading back. I’ll get the camera and pick this up tomorrow to see if I can get a better idea on their rotations and figure out what the weapons are exactly.”

“All right, I’ll be here when you get back.”

Bucky was waiting for her when she arrived he was cleaning one of his guns and checking the other weapons to make sure they were in tip top shape and ready to go.  He looked up when he heard her come in. She shrugged off her jacket and collapsed beside him on the couch. She leaned her head on his shoulder and let out a breath.

Neither of them said anything as Bucky continued to work on his weapons.  Mina closed her eyes and rested while Bucky finished his task. She just wanted to feel safe for a few moments while she let herself come down after her solo mission.

“Do you want to talk now or do you want to shower first?”  Bucky asked quietly.

Mina thought for a moment, “We can talk now.”

“So their weapons were made by The Enclave?”

She nodded her head as she sat up straight, blinking her eyes open.  “ They looked like the weapons some of the guards used to carry on them when I was with them.  It would make sense since Shinsky said that they used to work closely with HYDRA.”

“And their rotations?  How long did it take for shift changes?”

“Not long,” she responded.  “When I go back tomorrow I’ll get a better idea about what their rotations are like.”

“Do you want to go alone again?”  He hoped she would say no, but he knew deep down that she wasn’t going to want him tagging along with her.

“I can do this by myself,” she took his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.  “I know you worry, but it’s a simple recon mission. I can do it by myself, and I know that the moment I say something’s not right you’ll be on your way to me.”

He kissed her cheek, “I won’t let them do anything to you.”

“Good,” she stood and stretched out her sore muscles.  “I’m going to take a shower now. Clean up your weapons before bed.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said with a smile.

She bent down and kissed the top of his head before she disappeared into the bathroom and he heard the water turn on.  Soon the sounds of her singing their song filled the room and he smiled as he began to put his weapons back in their cases.

 

The next day Mina was back in the spot she had been in the previous day.  She held up her camera and began snapping photos of the base and the men as they moved around.  She lowered her lens and watched them. She didn’t like this place, it felt different from the other bases that she had been too.

Maybe it was the fact that she was with Bucky this time and that HYDRA knew they would be coming for them soon.

“Mina?  There’s someone coming up to your position.”  Bucky was watching the area with Satellite imaging.  He was getting a real time feed of everything that was happening where Mina was.

She grabbed her things and ducked into some bushes trying to hide her things from whoever was approaching her position.  She waited, neither she nor Bucky saying a word. Then Mina heard the tell tale signs of someone creeping through the underbrush.

A moment later a HYDRA agent broke through the treeline, his gun lowered as he looked around the area.  When he was satisfied that nothing was there he reached up and placed a finger against his ear. “There’s nothing here, tell Derek he’s paranoid.”  Mina could hear faint chatter through the other end. “Yeah well there’s nothing here that suggests that someone was here. I don’t care if she can turn invisible or not, I’ve got nothing.”

Mina placed a hand over her mouth, careful not to rustle the branches of the tree she had pressed herself against.  Bucky was gritting his teeth, his hand ready to grab one of his weapons bags and bolt for the door if he needed too.

After a few more shared words the man left.  “Mina, you’re clear.”

She let out a breath and bent over with her hands on her knees.  “That was too close,” she mumbled.

“I agree, pack it up and head back to the hotel, we’ll move in on the base tomorrow.”

Mina picked up her bags and quickly left the area, she didn’t want to risk someone new coming to the spot and discovering her leaving.

 

Bucky stood on the same little hill that Mina had been standing on for the past two days.  Both of them were looking down at the base. He couldn’t help the unease that flowed through him.  It had been some time since HYDRA had held him captive, but going to these bases brought back a lot of unwanted memories.

When Mina left his nightmares had come back.  This time instead of him being in the chair it was Mina.  He could see her screaming in pain as they did to her what they did to him so many times before.  He was trapped behind bars screaming at them to stop.

Sometimes Steve would come in and wake Bucky, he could hear the screams from his room.  Sometimes it was Sam, others it was Natasha. They would usher him downstairs and make him tea.  None of them would say a word unless Bucky wanted to talk. For the most part they were just there so he wouldn’t be alone.

But now he was standing before a base with Mina by his side and he couldn’t help the images of his dreams as they flashed through his mind.  His chest was tight and he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“I’ll go in through,” Mina was saying.  “You take the front entrance and--”

“No,” Bucky said roughly.

Mina looked up at him confused by his rough response.  “Is everything okay Bucky?” She didn’t like the look on his face and grew instantly worried.

He wouldn’t look down at her, he couldn’t at the moment.  He hadn’t told her about the dreams yet, he didn’t want that weighing on her mind.  “We go in together, I want you in my sight at all times.”

“Buck, I can’t always be in your line of sight.”  She lightly touched his arm, “Babe, what’s wrong?”

He closed his eyes and fought off the images.  “I’ll tell you later, just promise me that you’ll stay close.”

She wanted to fight him on this and say that it was more logical to split up and cover more ground, but she had to trust him and she knew there had to be a good reason why he was asking this of her.  “All right, I promise.”

He relaxed a little, but he was still on edge as they made their way down the hill and toward the base.  Mina placed a hand on his chest and turned invisible. Soon both guards were on the ground out cold. No one else was around, and Mina became visible motioning for Bucky to follow her.

Bucky pulled out a device Shuri had created to bypass the lock system and automatically open the doors for them.  Once inside they found that the front entranceway was devoid of people. Mina pulled out her gun, “Something doesn’t feel right.”

They moved through the base encountering minimal guards.  The ones they did encounter they knocked out and handcuffed together. “What is going on?”  Bucky asked. Both he and Mina had never encountered something like this when at a HYDRA base.

The two of them entered a room and froze when they saw a large monitor with Derek’s face on it smiling at them.  “Hello Mr. and Mrs. Barnes. It was so nice of you to join us at the base. Please have a seat.” Mina and Bucky noticed the two seats in the center of the room.

Mina narrowed her eyes, “I think we’ll stand for this.”

Derek merely shrugged, “Suit yourself.”  He backed away from the camera for a bit.  “Are you enjoying your honeymoon?”

“I don’t see how that would be any of your business,” Bucky growled.  “What do you want Derek?”

“Right to the point, I can respect that,” Derek said.  “I wanted to show you this.” Derek’s face was replaced with a video feed of Alya at the park with her grandparents.  “Such a precious little girl the two of you had. We were surprised when we saw her, but we knew exactly who she was especially on that one trip to London.”  The park imagery was replaced by Mina and Alya in London with Sarah at the market one day. Alya was about five in the video. “We’ve always kept tabs on you.  We waited until you were out of Wakanda. Now here’s what the two of you are going to do for me. If you want to see your daughter grow up in a world where the two of you are still alive you’re going to go with my men,” the door behind them opened and Bucky whirled around with his gun raised.  “If not I take your daughter and raise her as my own while the two of you will be nothing, but a distant memory.”

Mina’s chest felt tight, this was exactly what she was afraid of.  She gritted her teeth, her powers flaring to life and knocking the power out of the entire building, cutting off the feed from Derek.  She turned toward the men and threw them back against the wall with a sickening thud.

Bucky took a step away from her, seeing her eyes glow like that he knew she was angry.  “Bucky, we need to go, now.” She moved for the door and left the men unconscious. She pulled her phone out, “Ma, listen, you need to get Alya to the compound right now.  No don’t question me, you and dad need to stay there as well. Bucky and I are on the way home. We’ll explain when we get there.” She hung up and turned back to Bucky, “The other base can wait I’m not leaving our daughter on the other side of the world without us there to protect her.”

Bucky nodded, he had hoped she would say something like that to him.  

They entered the hallway beyond and found that there were more HYDRA agents waiting on them there.  All of them with guns aimed right at Bucky and Mina. She knew that the bullets wouldn’t be lethal. Derek wanted them alive, so that meant they had to dodge tranquilizer darts.  

Mina leapt into action, her hands glowing with her fire as she began to pick the men up and toss to them to the sides.  Bucky covered her back as he shot several men down, he didn’t shot to kill, he made sure that the wounds incapacitated them enough that the authorities could take them into custody.

When Mina had worked her way through the rest of the men she pulled out the zip ties and got into contact with the proper authorities.  They waited for them to show up, but Bucky could tell Mina was anxious about it. She was pacing like a caged tiger and he knew she was worried about their daughter.  Her whole reason for keeping Alya a secret was to protect her from HYDRA, and now she knew that they had been watching her all along.

Once the authorities were there, they gave their statements and rushed out as quickly as they could.  Neither of them wanted to stick around for much longer, anxious to get back home.

 

Landing in New York couldn’t have come quicker.  Mina and Bucky practically sprinted inside the compound to find Alya and the others.

They were all in the common room, and Mina practically collapsed with relief when she saw her daughter playing with Peter on the floor.  Bucky held her steady, but even he needed the wall to hold him up.

Steve walked over and spoke in low tones, “She doesn’t know what’s going on.  We left that up to you. Your parents have been given rooms here Mina, and we promise we’ll keep them and Alya safe.  HYDRA isn’t going to get their hands on her.”

“I need to call Sarah,” Mina murmured.  “She’s in danger too.”

“I can be on a Quinjet tonight to get her,” Steve said.  “Just tell her where to meet me.”

Mina nodded and entered the hallway to make the call.  Sarah answered immediately, “Mina? Darling, what’s wrong?”

“HYDRA knows about Alya,” Mina told her friend.  “They know about you too. My friend Steve is coming to get you.  Meet him at Heathrow airport, I’ll text you when he’s an hour out.  I can explain more once you’re here.”

“All right, I’ll pack a bag now and head straight there.  Is Alya safe?”

“Bucky, the team, and I are with her now.  She’s as safe as she’s going to get unless we ship her off to another dimension.”

“Good, just focus on protecting her, don’t worry about me.  I’ll be waiting for Steve at the airport.” She hung up and Mina rejoined the others.

Bucky pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, “Is she coming?”

Mina nodded, “Steve leave now, let me know when you’re an hour out.”  He nodded and hurried out of the room to get to London as quickly as he could.  “Alya, baby, can you come here?”

Alya looked up from where she was playing and rushed over to her mother.  Mina wrapped her arms around her daughter and just held onto her. 

“Mommy?”  Alya sounded worried, it wasn’t like her mother to do this often, but when she did she knew something was wrong.

“Not now lovebug, just let me hold you.”  She picked Alya up, “I’m going to bed. Let me know when Steve is back.”  She wasn’t ready to tell Alya about what was going on and that Sarah was coming to stay with them for a while.

Bucky followed after them and promised to keep an eye on her phone for her if she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's game time folks. HYDRA has threatened Alya and Mina and Bucky are going into overprotective parent mode. Mina isn't going to let anything happen to her little girl.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please go back and reread the end of Chapter 10 from where they took the base. I edited it yesterday (10/24/2018) and this chapter won't make any sense if you read it without rereading Chapter 10.

Bucky woke Mina when Steve said he and Sarah had landed.  Mina was careful not to disturb Alya who was fast asleep in the middle of the bed, her mouth was hanging open slightly and she was curled up into a little ball.  Bucky opted to stay behind and watch over her, he said that she and Sarah needed some space to themselves.

Mina hurried down the quiet hallways and when she made it to the landing pad she threw herself into Sarah’s waiting arms.  “It’s so good to see you, Sarah,” she breathed in the smell of Sarah’s bake shop and instantly felt at ease.

“It’s good to see you too darling, I’ve been worried about you.”  Steve trailed after them as he carried Sarah’s bags. She didn’t have much, and it wasn’t heavy, but Steve was a gentleman.  “How is Alya? Does she know?”

Mina shook her head, “No, Alya doesn’t know.  We didn’t even tell her that you were coming. We’ll break the news to her tomorrow morning.  For right now we’re letting her sleep and I’m getting my bearings. That message was jarring, knowing that they’ve been watching us for some time now.”  She shivered, “I don’t really want to think about it.”

Sarah petted Mina’s head, “Tell me where is your husband?  I want to meet the famous Bucky Barnes.”

Mina hummed, “He’s with Alya.  He thought that I might what some time with you first.  You can meet him tomorrow at breakfast.”

“Show me to the kitchen, I want to surprise Alya with her favorites.”  Steve told Mina he would take Sarah’s things to her room and that he would see them in the morning.  “He’s a looker,” Sarah said conspiratorially as they walked away.

Mina giggled, “He’s taken.”

Sarah sighed, “The good ones always are.”  They made it to the kitchen and Sarah was delighted by the size and machinery.  “This is every baker's dream kitchen.” She ran her hands over the countertops.  “Oh, I’ll never want to go back home after this.”

“My dad loves it too, you’ll also get to see them tomorrow.  The gang’s all here.” Mina leaned against the countertop and watched Sarah make her rounds.  “How much time will you need in the morning?”

“Two hours, if you can bring her in around ten that should be perfect,” Sarah replied.  “And I’m guessing that Tony will have the necessary tools and ingredients I need stocked up in this fancy kitchen of his?”  She raised an eyebrow and Mina laughed.

“Yep, Bucky apparently started to cook more while I was away.  He’s been the one that’s made sure the kitchen is well stocked and ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

“I like him already,” the two of them headed out of the kitchen and down the halls toward the elevator.  “I never thought I’d get a chance to see the inside of the Avengers’ compound,” she remarked. “It always seemed so mysterious.”

“It’s nothing special,” Mina replied.  “I mean sure it’s the Avengers’ compound, but it’s like any other building.”

“With the only differences being you’re a bunch of superheroes that protect the world,” Sarah pointed out.

“Yeah, there is that,” Mina shook her head.  “You’ll have access to most places within the compound unless it’s team only areas.  There’s a library, a common room, a gym, pool, anything really. I think Tony even installed an arcade last year, I feel like Peter mentioned that.”

“I’m excited to meet everyone,” Sarah said as she paused in front of the room that was going to be hers for the time being.  “It’ll be nice to finally meet the people who are important to you. I’ve heard the stories, now I want to meet them all.”

Mina gave Sarah another hug, “Tomorrow, I promise.”  She kissed Sarah goodnight and wandered back to her and Bucky’s room where she discovered that both father and daughter were curled up together on the bed.  Mina climbed in and snuggled next to them, thankful that they were safe and in her arms.

 

“But Mommy, I want to go get breakfast I’m hungry,” Alya complained the next morning.

“I know, but we have to stay here until ten okay?  There’s a surprise and it’s not ready yet.”

Alya crossed her arms and glared at her mother, “I don’t like surprises.”

“Oh she definitely gets that after you,” Bucky was running a brush through Alya’s hair, he was sitting behind her, focused on his work, but he looked up at Mina as soon as he said what he had.

Mina glared at him, “James.”

“Uh-oh, Mommy’s not happy with you, Daddy.”  She crawled into her father’s lap and wrapped her arms around him.  “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.”

Bucky rubbed his nose against Alya’s the two of them smiling broadly.  “I got myself a protector now, doll. What’re you going to do about it?”

Mina grinned at them and used her powers to lift Alya in the air.  The little girl squealed in surprise and Mina launched herself at Bucky, pinning him to the bed and tickling him.  Alya was set on the bed and she rushed over to her father’s defense.

She hopped onto Mina’s back, wrapped her arms around Mina’s neck.  “Don’t worry Daddy, I’ll save you from the tickle monster!” 

Mina and Bucky were both laughing and after a moment Mina let Alya pull her off of Bucky and onto the mattress beside him.  In turn Alya began tickling her mother. “Oh no!” Mina cried in mock horror. “The Lovebug has got me!” She fake fought back, “She’s… too… strong.”  Mina pretended like she was running out of energy. “You’ll won’t get away with this Lovebug!” And then she played dead.

Alya stopped tickling her mother and poked her in the forehead, “Okay Mommy, wake up.”  Mina stayed still for a moment longer until she felt Alya come closer, “Mommy?”

Mina’s eyes opened and she went, “Rawr.”  Causing Alya jump in surprise before a giggling fit overtook her.

Bucky looked at the time and saw it was ten, “Hey guess what?”

“What?”  Alya asked excitedly.

“It’s ten!”  He replied.

Alya rushed toward the door and flung it open, her parents rushing after her as she went.  “What’s my surprise?!” She bounced up and down in the elevator, she looked back and forth between her parents.

“You’re just gonna have to wait and see,” Mina replied.  “It’s in the kitchen.” She took hold of Alya’s hand so that she wouldn’t rush off.  Mina wanted to see her reaction to finding Sarah there with all her favorite breakfast items.

Alya tugged at her mother all the way down the hall.  “You’re moving too slow!” She complained.

“I’m moving at my normal speed,” Mina retorted.

Alya groaned and continued to try and drag her mother.  When the doors to the kitchen came into view, she could barely contain her excitement.  She pushed the doors open and saw Sarah standing there with a plate of Alya’s favorite chocolate chip pancakes.  “Grandma Sarah!” She rushed into the woman’s arms as soon as the plate had been placed on the counter.

“Hello my love,” Sarah replied squeezing Alya back.  “Were you good this morning?”

Mina snorted, “When is she ever good?”

“I was good,” Alya insisted.  “I want pancakes.” She made a grabbing motion with her hands toward the plate of pancakes.

“What do we say?”  Mina frowned at her daughter.

Alya sighed, “May I please have pancakes?”

Sarah chuckled and prepared a plate for her.  Mina helped her into a stool and helped her cut up her food while Bucky and Sarah became acquainted with one another.

“Ma’am, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he stuck out his hand to shake hers, but she batted it away.

“None of that nonsense,” she said as she pulled a surprised Bucky into her arms.  “You’re important to my dear Mina, you’re family. Call me Sarah while you’re at it.”

Mina and Alya hid their giggles behind their hands when Bucky looked over at them wide eyed.  “Whatever you say, Sarah,” he replied.

She pulled away and gave him the once over, “You’re a strapping young man, no wonder you stole Mina’s heart.  And you’re not bad to look at either.” She grabbed a plate and piled it with food. “Here you go.”

He walked over to Mina and whispered, “Is she always like this?”

“Yes,” Alya and Mina both replied.

He nodded his head and sat down beside his daughter.  Mina stole a piece of bacon off his plate and he batted her hand away.  “Get your own.”

Sarah watched them interact quietly, the loving looks they sent each other’s way, the way he pretended like he didn’t see Mina smuggling food off his plate.  She could tell why she had been so upset over leaving him six years ago. Seeing them together reminded her of her late husband George. They had been close like this once, she smiled a bittersweet smile and joined them at the counter.

 

Later that day more formal greetings were shared between the team and Sarah.  Mina’s parents were happy to see Sarah, and they all talked like old friends. Bucky watched Sarah and Alya interact with one another.

“I want to go back to London!”  Alya said excitedly. “It was fun.”

“You mean you just want to go back to Sarah’s shop,” Mina gave her daughter a look.  “I know what you really want, kid.”

Peter vaulted over the back of the sofa and landed next to Mina on the couch, “Hey!  That’s my nickname!”

Mina chuckled and kissed his cheek, “Technically it’s Spidey-Boy.”  No matter how old Peter became, his cheeks would always redden at that name.

The door to the common room opened and Thor stepped into the room.  Tony had called him and told him about the HYDRA threat and that Mina was in danger.  When his eyes fell on the newest and youngest member he paused.

Alya looked up at the tall, blond god before her.  “Who is the small child?”

Bucky chuckled and looked over at Thor, “Her name is Alya, and she’s mine and Mina’s daughter.”

Thor turned back to Alya and knelt down, “Hello Alya, my name is Thor.”

Alya cocked her head to the side, “Mommy says you come from another planet, is that true?”

“It is,” he replied.  “I come from a place called Asgard.”

“Can we go there?”

Everyone looked down, and a look of sadness passed over Thor’s features, “Alas Alya, Asgard was destroyed by a giant monster with horns.  My home is gone, I am a refugee here on earth along with more of my people and my brother Loki.”

“I want to meet Loki,” Alya announced.

Bucky choked on air, and Mina fought of a giggling fit.  The others were imagining the god of mischief with the small child.  “I can call Strange,” Tony offered with a grin.

“Do it,” Peter encouraged.

“Do we really think the god of mischief and six year old are a good combination?”  Steve asked a little worriedly.

“Oh come on Rogers, this could be interesting,” Natasha said.

“I’m calling,” Tony announced.  Alya clapped excitedly. After a few seconds Tony hung up and said, “They’ll be here in an hour.”

Bucky paled as he imagined the chaos that was about to ensue.  Mina, on the other hand, was very excited to see where this was gonna go. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been busy for the past few days working on my own original works. I'm trying to finish it before December because there's a pitch wars on Twitter and I want to enter it into that to see if maybe I can get an agent. My fingers are crossed, but this book is so involved and there's so much that I have to do that I don't know if I'll have it ready by December.


	12. Chapter 12

Loki and Stephen Strange arrived at the compound prompt and on time as everyone had expected.  The portal that Strange could conjure opened in the common room and Alya watched excitedly as the two men stepped forward.  Loki grinned at the Avengers, “You rang?”

Thor walked over to his brother and brought him in for a hug.  “Brother, I would like you to meet the newest member of the Avengers.  Miss Alya Barnes.” He gestured to the girl who was sitting on her father’s lap staring in awe at the two men before her.

“Cool,” she whispered.

Loki knelt down in front of Alya, his hair was a bit shorter than the last time Mina had seen him, but he still looked like Loki.  “Hello, Miss Barnes. Are you the reason why I was called here?” Alya nodded her head, for the first time she was completely speechless.  “And what have the others told you about me?”

Alya was quiet for a moment longer, “They said you were the god of mischief.”

“I am Little One,” Loki said with a soft smile.  He held out his hand to her, a butterfly the color of hers and her mother’s eyes appeared in his hand.  It fluttered its wings before taking flight into the air. Alya watched it as it flew around the room before coming back and landing on her nose.  She giggled, the noise disturbing the butterfly so that it flew back into Loki’s outstretched hand. “I can create illusions as well,” he informed her.

Everyone in the room watched in awe as Loki and Alya interacted with one another.  Mina managed to pry Bucky away from the two of them. “Strange isn’t going to let Loki get into too much trouble,” Mina promised him.

She understood his worry.  Give Loki’s past, and given what line of work they were all in, Alya would always be in some sort of danger.  She took his hand in hers and the two of them watched as Loki produced more illusions for their daughter. She was laughing in delight.

At one point Tony made a comment about how the event had been less than spectacular.  Bucky shot him the evil eye and Steve smacked him upside the head. 

After a few hours of playing with Alya, Loki and Strange had to to go back to the Sanctum in Greenwich Village.  Alya was sad to see him go, but he promised her that he would be back as soon as he could manage a trip.

With the two of them gone, Alya grew sleepy and Mina took her to her room so she could get a good night’s rest.  Sarah promised to watch over her in case something happened in the night. Mina was grateful to have a night to herself.

She entered the common room again where the others had settled down.  She walked over to Bucky and sat in his lap, tucking her head under his chin.  “What’d I miss while I was wrangling my little monster into bed?”

“That’s a new one,” Tony snorted.  “I thought she was your little lovebug?”

“Only when she behaves,” Mina gave him a sleepy grin.  “When she’s being hard headed she’s my little monster.”

“So when she behaves like Bucky,” Steve grinned at his best friend.

Bucky picked up one of the pillows and tossed it at Steve, “Punk.”

Mina pulled back and kissed Bucky’s cheek, “Don’t listen to him, he’s only half right.”

Bucky glared at his wife, but she smirked at him not intimidated at all.  “I hate it when you all gang up on me like this.”

“We’re not ganging up on you, merely stating facts,” Mina said with a mock serious look on her face.

“Sorry to interrupt, but there is a video waiting for all of you in the surveillance room,” F.R.D.A.Y. said.

Everyone went still when the AI came over the intercom.  Tony took in a deep breath and headed for the door, “Let’s go see what’s happened.”

They all filed out of the common room and headed down the hall toward the surveillance room.  Inside F.R.I.D.A.Y. had queued up the video that had been sent to them. Tony hit the play button and they watched as HYDRA soldiers flooded the streets of a small town in Ukraine.  Bucky’s hand tightened around Mina’s as he watched the people who had once controlled him killed innocent people fleeing for their lives.

Tanks fired missiles at buildings and chucks on walls fell to the streets, people scrambling out of the way before they were hit by the debris.  Bodies were lying in the streets or on the sidewalks, their blood spilling out around them.

It was a gruesome sight.  “Stop it, we’ve seen enough,” Steve said when he took in the looks on everyone’s faces.  “We need to set up a rescue mission or at least help in some way if HYDRA is no longer there.”

“They won’t be by the time you arrive,” Bucky said.  “This was just to get our attention, to remind us that they’re still here.”  He looked away from the now dark screens. “I’m going.”

“No,” Mina said in dismay.  “They want that, you can’t go there.”

“Mina,” he turned to face her.  “I have to go.”

“Then I’m coming with you,” she argued.  “Where you go, I go.”

“Doll, you need to stay here with Alya.  She needs you,” he cupped her face with his hands.  “This is my mess, let me fix it.”

Mina shook her head, “Please don’t go, they might know that this would bring you out.  Let the others go, stay here with me.”

“We’ll let you work this out,” Natasha said as she headed for the door.  She knew the two of them needed a moment to themselves to work through this.  Tony was the last one out of the room, he shut the door behind him.

“Bucky, please.  You didn’t want me to go into that HYDRA base alone and I don’t want you to do this alone.  We’re a team, either you stay, or we both go.” She was becoming desperate now. She knew, either way, he was going to go, and she had a sinking feeling it was going to be without her.  

He kissed her, pulling her closer, she could taste his tears.  She knew how much this was killing him, it felt like she was being ripped in half.  “Protect Alya, okay? Tell me you understand.”

“I understand,” she whispered.  “But Buck, you’re gonna come back.  Promise me you’ll come back.”

“I’ll always back to you, doll, that I promise you.”  He kissed her forehead, “I’m gonna go kiss Alya, goodbye.  Just tell her Daddy got called away on an important mission.”  He kissed her one last time before exiting the room.

Mina sank to her knees, burying her face in her hands.  A moment later Natasha and Wanda appeared, pulling her to her feet and carrying her back to the common room.  “He’ll be all right,” Wanda told her. “Tony, Steve, Vis, and Sam are all going. He’s in good hands.”

“I can’t lose him,” she said.  “I can’t see him go through what I went through.”  The thought of him being HYDRA’s prisoner was the hardest thing for her to imagine.  She knew he was still dealing with that guilt, and if he was forced to be their slave again it would kill him even more than before.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, they may not even be there when they arrive,” Natasha rubbed Mina’s arm.

“I need sleep,” Mina pulled away from them.  “I just need to get some rest. Wake me if something happens.”  She headed out of the room and back up to her and Bucky’s shared room.  

When she got there, she slipped on one of his shirts and curled up in the middle of the bed and cried herself to sleep.

 

In the morning there was no news from the others, and Mina couldn’t eat anything.  She had to know they were all okay and on their way back to the compound before she relaxed.  Sarah promised to keep her distracted so that Mina wouldn’t have to deal with answering her questions about why Mommy seemed so said.  

Mina’s mother sat with her on the room as she watched the sky, hoping that maybe the Quinjet would land at any moment and they would all emerge.  “You worrying like this isn’t going to help bring Bucky back sooner,” her mother said calmly.

“I know that,” Mina snapped, her attention turning to her mother.  “But I can’t help, but worry over him. I know what HYDRA wants with him.  They want their killer back, and it didn’t help that he would let me go with him.”

“Because he knew that someone needed to stay with Alya.  He didn’t want her to lose both her parents. Bucky is protecting his family and doing something that only he can do.  You can’t help ease the pain those people caused him, only he can. This is his mission just like destroying The Enclave was yours.”

“But we didn’t have Alya back then,” Mina sighed.  

“No, but this isn’t any different.  It’s still his burden to bear. Something that only he can do.  I know you trust him, just believe that he’ll return to you safely.”

“What if he doesn’t, Mamma?”  Tears welled up in her eyes, and Alia pulled her daughter closer.  “I lost so much time with him because I was trying to protect Alya.  And now we’re together again, we’re married for Christ’s sake! I can’t lose him again.”

“He’ll always be with you, whether he’s gone or still around.  Now dry your eyes and go check on your daughter. She needs you right now too, whether she knows what’s going on or not.”

Mina nodded and wiped her eyes.  Her mother was right. Her daughter needed her right now.  She could break down later if she needed too. She had to trust the other others would keep Bucky safe and that he would make it back home soon.

She found Sarah and Alya in the library, the two of them curled up on one of the couches reading a book.  Alya looked up when she heard her mother enter. Mina held out her arms and Alya rushed forward. She knew something was wrong, but no one would tell her what that something was.  “Want to go to the park, lovebug?”

“Sure!  Can Uncle Pietro and Uncle Peter come with us?”

“Let’s go see,” Mina responded.  She looked at Sarah, “Do you want to come?”

She shook her head, “No, you all go, I’m going to continue reading.  Come find me later, okay?”

“We will,” Mina promised before leaving to go see if she could find Pietro and Peter.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I've been having writer's block with this one on top of trying to finish one of my own personal stories that I want to try and publish. I will try to be more regular again because I've missed working on this one and I'm a little burnt out with my other stuff. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter!


	13. Chapter 13

Mina threw herself into work.  She couldn’t sit around and mope while Bucky was out there risking his life.  There were things that needed to be done and she was the best person for the job.  None of the others questioned her, they knew she needed a distraction from what was happening with Bucky and the others.  Mina found herself in the surveillance room most of the time unless she needed to see one of the others, or she was training with Natasha.  

She was currently sitting in the surveillance room with Alya on her lap, looking over images of the HYDRA base that she had taken down the week Bucky had discovered she was in Wakanda.  She then looked at old HYDRA bases that since been decommissioned.  She was trying to form a pattern between their bases to see if she could gain any information from them or it if they were all going to be dead ends.

“Mommy, why are you so worried about Daddy?”  Alya glanced up at her mother, the pensive look on Mina’s face worrying the little girl.  She knew her mother was upset because Bucky was off on a business trip as they had called it.  It was the same type of trip that Mina had taken when they were still living in Wakanda.

Alya didn’t know the truth about her father and the group they were now trying to track down.  And Mina wanted to keep it that way for as long as she could.  Mina didn't want to run the risk of her daughter being afraid of her father.  She knew one day Alya would learn the truth, it was just too soon for her to know why everyone was a little on edge over this.  “Just know they did some bad things to Daddy, and they hurt him. So I’m worried that it will happen again.”

Alya played with the ends of Mina’s hair, “Don’t worry about Daddy, he’s strong.  He’ll come home.”

Mina kissed the top of her daughters head, “I hope so kid.”

Peter came in and took over babysitting duty so that Mina could look at the more hardcore images that Alya shouldn’t see.  She went over hours upon hours of footage. There was something that they were missing.

It was nearly dinner time when she was receiving a video message from the Quinjet the boys had taken when they left.  She answered it immediately and saw Bucky’s face. A little bruised and bloodied, but for the most part he looked okay.  “Hey doll,” he gave her a bright smile, happy that she was the one that had answered. “We’re on our way home, should be there within the hour.”

Mina let out a breath, relieved that they had all made it out okay.  “Thank God.  How did search and rescue go?”

“We’ll talk when we get home,” his smile shifted and his face became serious.  “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

That made Mina bristle.  She knew that if Bucky wasn't telling her then it was something serious.  “James Buchanan Barnes, what happened?  I don't want to wait until you get home.”

He sighed, he knew that would be her response to his answer.  “Later, doll. I promise.”

Mina relented reluctantly, he was on his way home, she could wait to hear how their mission went until them.  “All right, I love you, and be safe. I’ll let the others know that you’re on your way home.”

“Tell Alya I have something for her,” Bucky said.  “And that I love her.”

“I’ll make sure she gets the message,” Mina smiled at Bucky.  “I’ll see you when you get home, James.”

He smiled at her, “I’ll make it up to you, doll.”

“I’m sure you will,” she said her final goodbyes before hanging up and heading out to gather the others.  She told F.R.I.D.A.Y. to have them assemble in the conference room, and to tell one of them to find her daughter as well.

Alya was sitting on Mina’s lap, she was fiddling with the strings attached to Mina’s sweatshirt.  She had to be doing something with her hands or else she couldn’t sit still. Mina ran her fingers through her daughter’s soft hair.  Everyone in the room quiet as they waited for Steve, Bucky, Vision, Sam, and Tony to get there.

Ten minutes had passed when the door opened and the five men entered the room.  Alya was hopping off her mother’s lap and heading straight for her father, who scooped her into his arms and placed a kiss to her temple.  Mina could see an already healing bruise on his cheek, and a few cuts running along his hand. She wondered if he had worse injuries under his clothes.

Everyone watched as Bucky reached into the pocket of his cargo pants and pulled out a necklace of a butterfly.  He told her one of the townspeople had given it to him as a token of their gratitude and that it made him think of her.  Alya took it gently, and smiled at her father, happy that he had thought of her.  He helped her put it on, the chain was a bit long, but she would grow into it eventually.  

Mina stood and walked over to him after he and Alya had finished sharing their moment with one another.  “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he kissed her cheek.  “Alya, why don’t you go hang out with your grandparents?  The grownups need to talk some.”

“Okay,” she walked out of the room after Bucky had set her down.  They made sure she was gone before Bucky slumped down into a seat, clearly all of them were tired.

“What happened out there?”  Natasha asked before Mina could.  Steve had walked over to her and placed a kiss on her cheek.  Mina didn’t think she had ever seen Natasha looking so worried before.

“They made more,” Bucky said, his eyes closing.  “There are more Winter Soldiers.”

“But I thought Zemo killed the others,” Mina recalled the events that had happened years prior.  What Zemo had done had torn the Avengers apart, and they had discovered that there were more Winter Soldiers and that Zemo had killed them all.

“He did, these weren’t them,” Tony responded.  “They’ve recreated the serum. Probably courtesy of The Enclave.”

“What’re we going to do now?”  Pietro asked. “How strong are they?  How many of them are there?”

“We don’t know,” Steve said.  “There could be five, there could be more.  They were waiting for us when we arrived.”

“I told you,” Mina stood up from her seat.  “They were trying to get to you weren’t they?”

Bucky cringed, “Yeah, they were.”

Mina paced back and forth, her anger barely contained.  She was mad at Bucky for not listening to her and potentially almost getting captured again, she was mad at The Enclave for helping perfect the serum, she was mad at a lot of things at the moment.

“Mina--” Steve started.

She leveled him with a glare, “Not a word Rogers.  We can talk more about this tomorrow. Right now James and I are going back to our room, and I’m making sure he’s all right.  We can figure out what to do with HYDRA tomorrow.

“Buck,” Steve said, but Bucky help up a hand.  

“I knew she was going to be angry.  Let her work through it, I’ll calm her down the best I can, but she’s right.  We all need to be looked over. Get some rest, we’ll reconvene in the morning.”  He turned and left the room.

Mina had beaten him there, and she was waiting for him.  Her face still twisted into a look of anger. He wasn’t sure how much of it was directed at him.  When he was fully inside the room she walked over to the door and slid the lock into place, she didn’t want to be disturbed as she looked him over, and she certainly didn’t want her daughter to see her father like this.

“Strip,” she ordered, her tone not suggestive in the least.

Bucky grinned at her and she knew he was going to say something to deflect from what she wanted to do, to try and ease the tension building in the room.  “I just got home, doll. Can’t I at least take a shower first?”

Mina stormed over and began to unzip his tactical vest and pushed it down his shoulders.  “That’s not what I mean and you know it.” She hiked up his shirt and gasped when she saw the bruising and the deep gash that was starting to heal.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he cringed when she lightly touched one of the bruised places.

“The hell it’s not!”  She glared up at him. “Is anything broken?”

He shook his head, “Not anymore.  I healed on the ride back, every break was minor.”

Mina’s eyes fell shut and she buried her face in her hands, Bucky knew she was crying.  He went to touch her, to comfort her somehow, but she jerked away from him. “God damnit Bucky!”  She shouted at him. “This is why I didn’t want to come back. This is why I didn’t want Alya to meet you or for you to know anything about her.”  The tears streaming down her cheeks killed him. “I didn’t want to have to worry about her seeing you like this. Seeing you get hurt. Or God forbid, her finding out that you were once a Winter Soldier and that you killed people for HYDRA!”

Bucky sat down on the bed, wincing as he aggravated several of his injuries.  “Doll, please.”

Mina angrily wiped her tears, “I hate seeing you like this, Buck.  I hate the thought of Alya seeing you like this.”

Bucky stood up and pulled Mina into his arms.  “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I’m putting you through this.  You and Alya both.”

“How did you do it?”  She asked as she held onto him tightly.  “How did you keep it together when The Enclave was after me?”

“I kept telling myself that I had to be strong for you, that I had to be the thing that you held onto.  I know this is hard for you, doll. Trust me, I wish we were in any other situation right now than this.  But I need you to trust me.”

“I do trust you, if I didn’t trust you I never would have left Wakanda with you, Steve, and Nat the day you found me.”

“Then hold onto that, we’ll get through this together like we always do.”  There wasn’t much else he could say, they were in a sticky situation and neither of them was sure how they were going to handle it.

“Next time let me go with you,” she said.  “I’d feel better if I was there to watch your back.”

Bucky was quiet, “Mina, I can’t have you there with me.  You’re a distraction, I’d be more worried about what was happening to you rather than what was happening to me.  If there is a next time and not all of us are going then please don’t fight me and stay behind.”

Mina buried her head into Bucky’s chest, “Okay.”

He relaxed.  “Thank you, Mina.”  He pulled away from her, “I need a shower.  Go find our little monster. I want to spend some tim with my girls tonight.  We can watch that Disney movie she’s been begging me to watch with the two of you.”

“All right, I’ll go wrestle her away from her adoring grandparents and be back here to watch a movie.”  She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I love you.”

He rested his forehead against her, “I love you too.”

They stood like that for a second longer before Mina went to go find Alya so Bucky could shower and prepare for the evening with his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah it feels so good to be writing about these two again even if it is a bit angsty. I'm actually also working on one for Steve now as well.


	14. Chapter 14

The others gathered the next day in the conference room to discuss what they hadn’t gotten to the night before.  Steve pulled Bucky aside, “Is everything okay between you and Mina?” He was worried that what was happening would put a strain on their relationship.

“We’re fine,” he assured Steve.  “She’s just feeling how I felt when The Enclave was threatening her life.  She’s not going to be okay until this is officially over.”

“I know how she’s feeling, I thought when we took down S.H.I.E.L.D. that we were done with this, but I should have known that it wouldn’t be over that easily.”  Steve really thought that they had cleaned up that last remains of HYDRA after the events that had taken place in D.C., but he had been very wrong. 

Mina drummed her thumbs against her thigh as she thought things over for a moment.  “I need to go to the Raft,” she announced. The others turned to look at her, Bucky knew immediately what she was talking about.

“Mina, no.  You shouldn’t have to see him ever again,” he hated the thought of her going to see Shinsky.  “We can figure this out another way.”

She shook her head, “We need intel and he can give it to us.  He knew HYDRA was going to come for them, and they did that through us.  Shinsky and HYDRA had a relationship in the beginning. The Enclave was a fall back for HYDRA in case they were ever taken down or had to go underground.  They used the scientists at the Enclave to make more serums for them. If anyone knows what HYDRA could possibly be planning then it’ll be Shinsky.”

“She has a point,” Sam said.  “I don’t want her to go to him as much as the next person.  The shit he put her and the others through was more than horrible.  But if he can give us information then this is an avenue that we need to look into.”

“I can call Secretary Ross,” Tony offered.  “We can explain the situation and I’m sure he’d be happy to help us.”

Mina looked at Bucky, “I have to do this, Buck.  It’s I go see Shinsky and possibly get intel on what HYDRA has planned with these new Winter Soldiers, or we go in with no knowledge and pray that this works.”

Bucky closed his eyes, he knew she was right.  “Fine. Call Ross and tell him that Mina and I will be heading to the Raft together.”  He looked at his wife, “I’m not letting you do this alone.”

“I expected nothing less,” she told him.

Within the hour they were on a Quinjet with Steve and Tony heading for the Raft.  Secretary Ross would be there to greet them and to take Mina to the cell where they were holding Shinsky.  This was the first time Mina was meeting Ross and she wasn’t particularly looking forward to it. She knew what he had tried to do to Bucky.

While that had been cleared up she knew that he still held some ill will toward him.  Bucky wasn’t pleased to be seeing Ross either, but he was going to keep his mouth shut.  He was going to support Mina and that was it.

The Quinjet landed and they were taken inside the prison.  Ross was standing there waiting for them as they disembarked from the Quinjet.  As Mina approached he held out his hand to her. “Thaddeus Ross, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Gaspari.”

“Actually it’s Mrs. Barnes,” she kept her face neutral, but her voice had an edge to it.  “Bucky and I were married not too long ago.”

Ross’s eyes flickered over to where Bucky was standing, a frown on his face.  “Well congratulations, Mrs. and Mr. Barnes.” He released her hand and looked at Tony.  “I’m surprised you want to talk to the madman.”

“I’m not the that will be doing the talking, Mina will be doing that honor,” Tony informed him.  “By herself. Shinsky probably won’t talk if we’re all there.”

“I need to know if my abilities will work in here,” she said.  “Shinsky shouldn’t be immune to them anymore and if I can make him more agreeable it will be more likely that we’ll get something out of him.”

“You’ll be able to use your powers, Mrs. Barnes,” Ross told her.  “And anytime you wish to leave just say the word and we’ll send someone to get you.”

She nodded, “Give me an hour, I’ll get him to talk.”  They moved down the hallway toward where the cells were located.  “Does he know I’m here?”

“No, we didn’t tell him he was going to have a visitor,” Ross told her.  “We figured it was for the best that he didn’t know until you were physically standing in front of him.”

“Good,” she turned toward the others, they were stopped in front of the door that led to the cells now.  “Wish me luck.”

Bucky bent down and brushed a kiss against her cheek, “Good luck, doll.  I’ll be right here if you need me.”

She nodded and headed into the main section of the prison.  Ross looked over at Bucky, “Married huh?”

“Yes,” was his only reply.

Ross snorted, he had been expecting that.

Mina passed by the empty cells, she had been told that Shinsky was in the very last cell on the far left wall.  She passed by Zemo’s cell, the man watched her as she passed no knowing that she was the wife of the man he had tried to frame for his crimes.  To him, she was just another government goon come to interrogate one of the prisoners.

When she arrived at Shinsky’s cell she paused, he had his back to her.  There were books strewn on the floor, some looked like scientific journals.  “I’m surprised that they let you read those things in here.”

Shinsky whirled around at the sound of her voice, his beautiful Siren Song.  He stood from his seat position on the floor and slowly moved over to the front of the cell.  His eyes looking at her in disbelief. “Are you really here, my darling Siren Song? Have you come to free me from my misery at last?”  He looked different, there were dark circles under his eyes and he seemed skinnier than he had been before. They kept his hair trimmed as well as his beard.  Mina couldn’t quite believe he had once been the leader of the Enclave with the way he looked now.

Mina kept her face blank, “I’m really here, and no I am not here to free you from your prison.  You deserve to be in here. I am only here because HYDRA has created more Winter Soldiers and I need to know what you know.”

“One can dream, how long has it been since we last saw one another, Mina?  Time is nonexistent in this hell.” He pressed his hands to the glass doors.

“It’s been six years,” she told him.

He smiled a little, “Your aging was slowed too it seems.  You look just like you did when we had you in our hands again.  You should age just as slowly as the super soldiers do. Speaking of the super soldiers how is James Barnes?  I’m assuming he’s still enthralled by you, darling.”

Mina folded her hands behind her back so he couldn’t see her clenching her fists together.  “Stop trying to change the topic. Tell me what you know about HYDRA.”

Shinsky tsked, “So impatient.  I need something in exchange for information.”

“Don’t give him anything,” Bucky said into her earpiece.  The others had been quiet up until this point, but Bucky couldn’t keep quiet any longer.

“What do you want?”

“Mina!”  Bucky scolded.

Shinsky tilted his head to the side, “I know you can’t release me from here, the governments of the world would never allow that.  But you can come to visit me. Once a month for at least an hour at a time. You can even pick the days when you come.”

“Who says I would uphold our end of the deal if I agreed to that?”

He smiled at her, “I know you.  You may have forgotten but I have watched you grow since you were just a baby.  I was there all your life, I know you. You would never rescind on a deal you had made.”

“All right, is there anything else you want?”

“Tell me three things that have happened in the last six years since we last saw one another,” Shinsky knew there was something different about her, she was no longer the same woman who had taken down the Enclave.  A lot could have happened in the six years since he had last seen her.

“Mina, don’t do it,” Bucky spoke again.

A different voice spoke this time, “Mrs. Barnes if this is all he’s asking then do it.  You all need that information.”

Steve’s voice was next, “Mina, think this over carefully.  You can come back and talk it over with us if you want.”

“They’re talking to you aren’t they?”  Shinsky laughed. “Who’s with you?”

She turned and began walking away.  The door opened and she stepped through, glaring at the men before her.  “I’m trying to make a deal in there,” she directed the comment at Bucky. “Ross is right, if all he wants is an hours visitation once a month, what’s the harm?”

“Your health?”  He walked over to her.  “Mina this man manipulated you and brainwashed you.  Why would you willingly agree to see him once a month?  Why would you come here?”

“He didn’t say I had to be here,” she said.  “I can always do video messages.”

Bucky pinched the bridge of his nose, “I can’t believe you are actually considering this.”

“We need his intel,” she told him.  “I’m agreeing,” she said to Ross. “Let me back in.”

Bucky went to tell her not to, that they didn’t need it, but she was already gone.  Steve walked over to his friend, “Trust her, Buck. She knows what she’s doing.”

Mina stood in front of Shinsky’s cell again, “I agree to your terms.”

His smile brightened a little bit more, “Wonderful, so my three things.”

Mina took in a deep breath, “I’m married, I had a daughter, and I am retiring after this.”

Shinsky stared at her, “You’re a mother?”

“I am.”

“I take it you married James and had a child with him,” he said.  “What a wonderful turn of events. What is his or her name?”

“You didn’t specify how into detail I had to go,” Mina argued.

“Humor me.”

Mina blew out a breath, “Her name is Alya and she is six years old.”

“Ah yes, Alya was one of the names you had picked out with James.  Well congratulations my darling Siren Song, I am happy for you.”

Mina gritted her teeth, “Your intel.”

Shinsky began to pace, “There isn’t much I can tell you other than we were the ones that helped them create the serum.  They needed scientists, and in exchange for helping them we could use the formula for our own serum to create you. We agreed, it was a good starting point for us since all our other serums had been failures.  As I’m sure you’re aware we tried to create the serum before HYDRA came into the picture, but each one was a failure. None of our subjects survived.

“When Derek approached us HYDRA was still a major force in the world.  But they wanted to improve their serum. They wanted their Winter Soldiers to have more control than the ones they already had.  They wanted another James Barnes. They had heard of Project Siren through underground channels and thought that we would be the best people for the job.  We happily agreed to help them.

“We modified their super soldier serum and made our own.  You were the first child we had tested the new and improved batch on.  Once we were sure that you would survive we continued working on our own project while looking into the super soldier serum.”

“I know how I was created, I saw those files, get to the point,” she snapped.

“While we worked on the new super soldier serum we created a failsafe in it.”  Shinsky grinned at her, “You can control them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to bring Shinsky back even if it was for a brief cameo. Don't know if you'll see him in the spinoff series, but we'll see how it goes.


	15. Chapter 15

Mina stepped back into the hallway where the others were waiting for her.  Each of them had dumbfounded looks on their faces. They had all heard what Shinsky had said to her.  Bucky had no idea what he should say to her.

“We need to make a stop on the way back to the compound,” she said as she passed them and headed to where the Quinjet was waiting for them.

_“What do you mean I can control them?”  She had demanded once she had gotten over her initial shock of what he had just said to her._

_“Well not just you, all our Sirens can control them.  It was a failsafe we invented just in case anything ever went wrong.”  Shinsky moved deeper into his cell and pulled up a chair and sat down. “We never told HYDRA this, but they wanted their new Winter Soldiers to be obedient in every way possible.  They wanted them to listen to their handlers only. But we didn’t want that, if they ever decided to turn on us we needed a way to protect ourselves.” He scratched his chin. “We added something to the serum that would make them more agreeable with you and the others.”_

_“You were going to try and take over HYDRA,” she said.  “With the Sirens and the Winter Soldiers you would control their greatest weapons.”_

_“Bingo, you would have made an excellent right-hand woman.”  He shook his head a rueful smile on his face. “If you can bring the others back together again, you can bring HYDRA to their knees.”_

Mina leaned her head back.  She didn’t like what she was about to do, but it had to be done.  She was going to need Amara’s help if she and the others wanted to take down HYDRA.  

Bucky was sitting across from her, watching her expression change.  He knew she was thinking over everything that Shinsky had told her, and how she hated to drag Amara out of retirement like this.

Steve and Tony landed the Quinjet and Mina and Bucky disembarked.  They promised to be back soon. Amara lived in India with Varun in a little home off the beaten path.  They lived away from the larger cities. Mina hadn’t heard from her friend and fellow Siren since before she had fled to Wakanda after finding out that she was pregnant with Alya.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Nope,” she said.  “I always knew he was a tricky bastard and he had some kind of ace up his sleeve.  I’ve been waiting years to find out what it was. This changes nothing though.”

They turned down a little pathway that was lined with little homes.  Some had children playing in the front of them. They stopped to stare at Bucky and Mina as they passed.  One house had a little boy and a little girl playing with dinosaur toys on the front lawn. They looked like they could be twins.

“She had kids,” Mina murmured.

“Chandra!  Parvati! It’s time to--”  She trailed off when she saw Bucky and Mina standing in the road before her home.  “Oh my God,” she murmured. “Mina? Bucky?” She came down the stairs and rushed over to where they were, and threw her arms around them.  “I’ve missed you all.”

Mina squeezed Amara tightly, “I’ve missed you too.”

“Come inside, I made mac and cheese.  We can eat and catch up. Varun will be home soon, he had a job today.  He’ll be excited to see you all.” She ushered them inside the home and disappeared into the kitchen.  “What brings you all to our neck of the woods? How’s New York?”

“New York is good,” Mina responded as she made funny faces at the twins.  They laughed and it made Mina smile, she missed when Alya was this age. “We, uh, we have some news.”

Amara reappeared around the corner and handed them two bowls of mac and cheese.  “That tone tells me it’s either good or bad.”

“A little bit of both,” Mina told her.

A moment later Varun opened the door, “I’m home!”  He paused when he saw Mina and Bucky. “What a surprise,” he smiled at them.  “It’s been what? Six years?”

“Yeah,” Bucky said as he went to greet Varun.  “It’s been awhile.”

“They say that they have good and bad news for us,” Amara said once she had kissed her husband hello.  “Chandra, Parvati, if you would please go play in your room.” The twins listened to their mother and hurried off.  Varun and Amara sat side by side, “What’s going on?”

“I guess we should start from the beginning,” Mina said.

Bucky and Mina recounted how the past six years had gone while Amara and Varun had been in India making their own life. Mina showed them a picture of Alya, how she had lived in Wakanda and not told the others where she had gone.  Bucky mentioning how he searched tirelessly for her.

They told Varun and Amara how they had finally come back together and how they were now married.  Then they told them who they had just come from seeing. Varun’s and Amara’s face hardening over as their friends mentioned Shinsky’s name.

“Why on earth would you go see him?”  Amara demanded. “After the hell he put us all through, he doesn’t deserve to be seen.”

“The Enclave had ties to HYDRA,” Mina told her.  “I needed to know what he knew so we could best decide how we were going to take them on.  And this is the part you’re probably not going to like,” she admitted. She hated asking Amara to join the fight, especially after seeing how happy she was here.  “He told me that the Sirens can control the Winter Soldiers.”

“No,” Varun said.  “Absolutely not.”

“Varun,” Amara put her hand on his thigh.  “Let them finish.”

“HYDRA had always planned on taking over the Siren Project,” Bucky informed them.  “This was Shinsky’s failsafe in case that day ever happened. His sirens would be able to control the Winter Soldiers.  One whiff that they would be turned into mindless zombies for HYDRA and they would take over the deadliest weapons HYDRA has ever created.”

“We need your help,” Mina said.  “HYDRA has already threatened Bucky and I, and they want to take our daughter as well.  If you won’t fight with us, at least come back to the compound where we can protect you and your children.”

Varun began cursing in Hindi and walked away.  Amara looked grim, “I always figured a peaceful life wasn’t something we would find.  These last six years have been nothing but an illusion it seems.”

“Once we take down HYDRA we should be able to have the lives we want.  Bucky and I want to retire as well. We want to have another child. We want white picket fence, PTA meetings, we want the whole nine yards.  Trust me, we know how you feel.”

Amara stood, “Let me go pack and we can leave together.”  She called for Varun and he followed her to the back, the two of them discussing what they had just learned over in Hindi.  

Bucky let out a breath, “I knew they would react like this.”

“So did I, but it’s not our fault that their lives are in danger.  HYDRA wants them as well.” She leaned her head on his shoulder and looked out the front window.  The little neighborhood reminded Mina of the neighborhood she and Alya would go to when one of the Avengers would visit.

She had been at peace there.  And she was determined to have that peace again.

Thirty minutes later Varun, Amara, and the twins appeared.  The twins seemed excited about their impromptu trip, their parents, on the other hand, did not.  Bucky and Mina led them from their house and back down the road they had come from.

The Quinjet was waiting where they had left it.  Tony and Steve greeted Amara and Varun with a smile and introduced themselves to the twins.  With the greetings out of the way they were in the air and heading back to the compound.

“Have the others been briefed?”  Mina asked as they headed toward the Pacific Ocean.

“Not yet, we thought we would wait until we were back at the compound,” Steve told her.  “Tony and I debated on what would be the best course of action.”

“I said to tell them now while we waited for you,” Tony interjected.  “But Capsicle here thought it would be best if we waited until we were all together again before we just up and told them what Shinsky had informed you of.”

“Maybe that was for the best,” Mina said.  She agreed with Steve on this one. She wanted to be there in person to tell the others what they had learned.

“Fine, side with Steve, but at least all we’d have to do when we got home would be to answer a bunch of questions,” Tony grumbled.

Mina shook her head, “Quit grumbling. He was right. Plus I don’t want the other sirens to know yet. They were on edge enough when I said that I was going to the Raft to see Shinsky.

“How are they?”  Amara asked when she heard the direction of the conversation.

“Good, San-ha and Pietro are married now. Happened three years ago I believe.”

They talked a little longer about what Amara had missed while away. Steve told her he and Natasha were dating.

“I’ve missed so much,” she said with a smile.

“That’s what happens when you don’t keep in contact with people,” Tony joked.

“I know, I promise to be better about that in the future,” she held up her hands.  “But at least I didn’t go off the grid like a certain someone.” She poked Mina in the ribs and Mina chuckled.

“I had my reasons.”  

“Next time I know where to look first,” Bucky commented with a smirk. “T’Challa will always shelter Mina. He’s too fond of her.”

“Next time I won’t go to Wakanda since you found out my hiding spot,” she shot back, the two of them grinning at one another, both of them knowing there wouldn’t be a next time.  Bucky knew that Mina had only left for one reason and that was to protect their daughter.

“We’re coming up on the compound,” Tony said.  “I’ve alerted to others to meet us in the conference room.  They are all anxiously awaiting our arrival.”

The mood shifted in the Quinjet as they prepared for their descent and their meeting with the others.  Amara and Mina glanced at one another, they knew that the others weren’t going to be thrilled with the news about them being the key to taking down HYDRA.

But they would soldier on.  They were fighters after all.


	16. Chapter 16

San-ha was sitting next to Pietro, their hands clasped together as they waited for Mina and the others to get back from their trip.  She had been on edge since Mina announced that she was going to go see Shinsky at the Raft prison.  None of the others had thought that Mina should go, especially the sirens.

“Do you think it’s good news?”  She asked the others as they waited for the others to show up.

“Tony wouldn’t specify much,” Natasha said.  “Said that Steve wanted to wait until we were all back together.”

“They’ve taken a long time to get back,” Peter said.  He had been the most nervous out of all of them. 

The door to the conference room opened and Tony and Steve stepped in first.  San-ha gasped when she saw Amara enter next with Varun at her side, followed by Mina and Bucky.  “What are you doing here?” She stood and rushed over to give Amara a hug.

“Take a seat and I’ll explain everything,” Mina told her.  San-ha turned to Mina, worrying etching her features. “We went to pick Amara up after I went to see Shinsky.  He told me that the sirens can control the Winter Soldiers.”

“Wait, what?”  Peter’s eyes snapped open in surprise.  “What do you mean the sirens can control them? I thought they needed special words and would only answer to HYDRA or anyone that HYDRA told them to listen too.”

“So did we,” Bucky told him.  “That’s what it was like when they had control over me.  See most Winter Soldiers already worked for HYDRA, or are working with HYDRA.  I was the exception because I was already being experimented on when I fell from the train.  They took my memories and conditioned me to be their slave. The others were comrades, they were already in HYDRA and had volunteered for the program.”

“Shinsky and the others working with the Enclave were approached by HYDRA because of the Siren Project,” Mina explained.  “And Shinsky knew that once they helped HYDRA and gave them what they wanted there was a possibility that they were turn on them.  When I was a success they started working on a new form of the super soldier serum. Shinsky wanted insurance in case HYDRA ever turned their Winter Soldiers toward the Enclave.  We would be able to control them and take down HYDRA.”

“What did you have to do to obtain this information?”  Natasha could see the tension in Mina’s shoulders, she knew that there was more to this story than they were saying.  “You’re not telling us something.”

Bucky took Mina’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.  Mina closed her eyes, “Once a month, on a day of my choosing, I have to see Shinsky for at least an hour.”

Peter stood up, slamming his hands down on the table, “And you agreed to that?”

“We needed the information, Peter,” Mina said as she turned her gaze to her young friend.  “I had too.”

“There had to be another way,” Natasha argued.  “There’s always another way.”

Mina shook her head, “I didn’t have time to negotiate.  With the discovery that HYDRA has more Winter Soldiers, we needed whatever he could give us.  I will go see Shinsky once a month like promised.” Her tone told them that she wasn’t going to argue anymore on this.  What was done was done, and now it was time to move forward.

“I still don’t like it,” Peter said as he slowly sat back down.

No one tried to argue with Mina on her going to see Shinsky anymore.  They could tell that that discussion was over with. They continued to ask questions about other things that Shinsky had told her, but she didn’t have much else to say other than what he had said about the sirens being able to control the Winter Soldiers.

Celia, one of the former sirens that had decided to stay on as an Avenger, looked at Amara, “Will you be helping us fight?”

Mina looked over to where Amara was sitting, she hadn’t said much since their arrival at the compound.  “I haven’t decided,” Amara said after a moment of silence. “There is a lot that I need to consider now.  I have a family. I don’t want to jeopardize them. Give me a few days to think this over and I’ll get back to you.” 

“Come on, I’ll take you to your room,” San-ha said.  “We can catch up along the way.” The two women left the room, trailed by Varun while the others stayed in the war room.

Celia looked at Mina, “Do you think she’ll join us?”

“I don’t know,” Mina said truthfully.  “But I’m not going to force her to. If she wants to stay here until it’s safe then that’s her choice.  Right now we need to focus on finding the others and warning them.”

“I’ll get on that,” Natasha said.  “Steve and I can arrange pickups that way you won’t have to leave the compound again.”

Mina didn’t say anything else, she merely stood and walked out of the conference room.  Peter stood and said, “Let me talk to her.”

“Pete, maybe we should just give her some space,” Tony said.  “I know she said she’s fine, but she’s being manipulated by the Enclave again.  Let’s just give her some space for a few hours.” He looked over to where Bucky was still seated, “That goes for you too.  You may be her husband and all, but sometimes space is the best thing for a person.”

Bucky held up his hands, “She can come to me when she’s ready to talk about whatever’s going on inside her head.  I know I can’t pry it outta her.”

Tony nodded, pleased that Bucky was going to give Mina the space she clearly wanted.  He dismissed the others and went with Natasha and Steve to start contacting the other sirens.  The compound was going to be full again when the other women arrived. It would be just like old times.

 

Mina had gone up to her room and changed into her workout clothes.  She had avoided the room where Sarah was staying as well as her parents’ room.  She figured that Alya would be in one of them with her grandparents. Right now she didn’t want to explain to her daughter why she looked like she did.

Seeing Shinsky again had brought up a lot of old memories, ones that she had buried after the trial was over and Shinsky had been sent to the Raft prison.

The gym had been blissfully empty when she entered it and she was thankful that no one had followed her.  She wondered if someone had ordered the others to stay back or if they all just knew she needed some time to herself.

She walked over to the room where they ran their simulations, a courtesy of Shuri, and programmed it so that she was fighting a group of assailants.  The simulation was real for the most part, but if one of the projections went to hurt her the simulation would stop automatically.

She pressed play and stepped inside.  Once the door was shut firmly behind her the simulation started.  Five men in masks appeared before her, waiting for her to make the first move.

She rushed forward, going for the bigger of the five men.  She ducked down and swiped his feet out from under him, he fell to the hardwood floor and she sprung back up punching the second man that had come at her.

His head rocked back and he stumbled a few steps, another one of the projections took his place as the first man she had knocked down struggled to get to his feet.

Mina’s hands began to glow and she engulfed the man in front of her in flames.  He went stumbling backward and ran into one of the plexiglass walls of the simulation room.  Someone grabbed her from behind, but she snapped her head back and felt the projections nose crack under her skull.  She whirled and kneed the projection in the groin. He fell to his knees and disappeared.

Three of the five men were still left, all of them circling around her.  She threw out her hands and a wall of fire slammed into the three projections causing them to flicker in and out before disappearing before her eyes.

With all of them gone Mina dropped to her knees, her flames dimming and then disappearing.  She should have never made that deal with Shinsky.

“Mina?”  The soft voice of Peter was behind her and when she turned around he was standing there with a worried look on his face.  “Come on, Witchy Woman. Talk to me.”

The use of her pet name made her smile a little and she stood walking over to where Peter was standing, her arms going around him.  He had grown so much since he had been a teenager. It was odd not having the teenager around. Then she realized that Alya would be a teenager before too long.

“Did you come on your own or did you all draw straws to see who would get to talk to me?”  She wondered if he and Bucky and Pietro had fought over who would get to come talk to her first.

“I offered,” he informed her.  “I wanted to know how you were really doing.”

She pulled away and walked over to one of the benches they used for exercises.  “I’ve been better if we’re being completely honest, but this is life. And at least it’s only for one hour once a month, on a day of my own choosing.”

“Stop trying to make it seem like it’s no big deal,” Peter chastised.  “We all know that it’s not okay with you.” 

“What else was I supposed to do, Peter?  We needed that info and I doubt there would be anything else that Shinsky would want from me.”

Peter knew that was true.  Shinsky had loved Mina the most out of all his other sirens.  He would do anything to keep in contact with her. “All right, but at least take one of us with you when you go to see him.  You don’t have to do it alone you know. We’re all here for you.”

Mina rested her head on his shoulder, “I know, kid.  Trust me I do.”

“Is there anything else you need to get off our chest?”  He asked.

She shook her head, “Not at the moment.  I’m just stressed by this whole situation.  Worrying about Bucky the other day, and now finding out that me and the others can control the soldiers is a lot.”

“Have you and Bucky worked out your issues or are the two of you still on the fence?”  Peter hated seeing Bucky and Mina at odds with one another. They worked so well together and when one was mad at the other it was awful to witness.

“We’re fine,” she reassured him.  “We talked it over once he had gotten home and we came to an understanding with one another.”

The door to the gym opened and Bucky stepped inside.  He saw Peter and Mina sitting together on one of the benches and headed over their way.  “Everything okay?” He asked once he was standing in front of them.

“We’re fine,” she reassured him.  “I’m feeling a little better.”

Peter stood and pulled Mina up with him, “Why don’t we go make dinner?  We can surprise Alya with it.”

“That sounds amazing,” Mina admitted.  “And I am kinda hungry.” She slung her arm around his waist since she couldn’t quite reach his shoulders.  Bucky watched the two of them walk out of the gym, he smiled. Some things never changed.


	17. Chapter 17

Alya watched her parents spar with one another in the gym a few days later.  She had no idea about the deal her mother had made, only that she had gone to see someone in prison to get information about the case they were currently working on.  She hadn’t asked a bunch of questions knowing she wasn’t going to get any straight answers out of either one of her parents.

Mina was laughing as Bucky caught her around the waist and swung her in a circle.  Alya smiled as she observed them together. She had heard stories that this is how they had been once upon a time, but she never really thought that she would get to witness it.

Her mother was always telling her that she would meet her father one day, but she had always seen the fear in her mother’s eyes when Alya would bring it up.  She knew her mother would stay away as long as she deemed it unsafe for Alya.

But here they were now, together at last, and Alya was happy even if there were things going on around them that could potentially be dangerous.

Mina managed to escape from Bucky’s hold and got him to fall back against the mat.  She held his hands against the mat, her body weight holding him down. She smiled down at him, “I got you now Sergeant Barnes.”

“You sure about that, doll?”  He grinned up at her.

Alya hopped up from her seat and sat on her father’s legs.  “Don’t worry Mommy, I’ll help you hold him down.”

Mina looked back at her daughter and grinned, “Good girl, lovebug.”  She turned back to Bucky, “It’s two against one now, what’re you going to do?”

He merely sat up with a grunt and managed to break Mina’s hold from around his wrists.  He hooked one arm around her waist and scooped his daughter up with the other one. “What was that about having me now?”

Mina stuck her tongue out at him, “You’re no fun.”

He kissed her cheek and then kissed the top of his daughter’s head, “You had to know I would easily escape from your hold.  I am a super soldier after all.”

The door to the gym opened and Steve stepped in.  “I see we’re taking training seriously this afternoon,” he smirked at the scene before them.

“I helped!”  Alya said proudly.

“I’m sure you did,” Steve bent down and ruffled her hair.

“Did you need us?”  Mina asked as she got to her feet, pulling Alya in her arms.

Steve shook his head, “No, I actually came to tell you Natasha and I will be leaving to get the first two girls tonight.  We’re leaving in a few hours, I was on my way to be briefed by Tony.”

Alya walked over to Steve and stretched her arms up at the taller man.  He bent down and scooped her up, Alya giggling as he twirled her around.  Bucky clapped Steve on the shoulder, “Be safe, and call if you need any assistance.”

“I will Buck, promise.”  He handed Alya over to her father and said his goodbyes so he could go meet with Tony.

“It’s going to be crowded in here once the others start to arrive.”  Mina looked at Alya, “Maybe we should send Alya away to Stephen and Loki.”

“Yeah!”  Alya was thrilled at the prospect of being with Loki again.  The girl really fancied him.

Bucky, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure.  “Are we sure that’s a good idea?”

“Alya, go find Auntie Wanda and get her to show you her magic.”

“Okay Mommy,” Alya went racing from the room excited at the prospect of seeing more magic.

Bucky turned to Mina once again, “I don’t think we should be sending her to Loki.  He’s not the most responsible being around.”

Mina patted his chest, “Loki has calmed down since his days before the snap.  Plus I’m sure Stephen would keep Loki in line. What better people to keep our daughter safe than a god and a wizard?”

“Us,” Bucky deadpanned.  “We can keep her safe.”

“What if HYDRA attacks us here?  Hmm? What if they come for us like the Enclave came for me?”

Bucky couldn’t fault Mina for that logic, but he still didn’t want his daughter around Loki.  “I don’t know, doll. I’m still not so sure.”

“Why don’t we invite the two of them here and have a chat with them.  Would that make you feel better?” At this point Mina wasn’t sure who else to send Alya too.  Stephen and Loki were their only options.

“Fine, we can talk to them, but if I still feel uneasy about this then we won’t do it.”

Mina could live with that.  “You have yourself a deal, Sargeant Barnes.”

 

Two hours later Mina, Bucky, Stephen, and Loki were all sitting in the conference room together.  Stephen had been informed by Thor that Mina wished to speak with him and Loki at the compound.

“What did you want to talk to us about, Mina?”  He asked as he settled into his seat.

“Alya,” she responded.

Loki perked up at the sound of the younger Barnes name.  “Why do you need to talk to us about your charming, little girl?”  He questioned.

“We were wondering if the two of you would keep an eye on her for a while,” Mina said.  Stephen and Loki exchanged looks with one another. “The other sirens will be arriving here at the compound within the next couple of days and then we’ll be waging war on HYDRA.  I don’t want my daughter here when we do that.”

“And why would you send her to us?”  Loki asked, he seemed genuinely confused by the thought that these two people would want them to watch over their child.

“Trust me, I’m just as confused as you are,” Bucky said.  

Stephen looked at Bucky, “You don’t trust Loki.”

“I don’t,” Bucky responded.

Loki pouted, “I'm hurt Barnes, I would take excellent care of your daughter.”

Stephen looked back at Mina completely disregarding the two other men in the room.  “Why us?”

“Because she likes you all and you don’t live at the compound.  I know you know how the Enclave came and took me from here. I don’t want that to happen to Alya.  I don’t want HYDRA to attack while she’s here and Bucky and I are distracted. I’m too afraid something will happen.  I figured who better to look after her than a god and a magician.”

“Well she’s not wrong,” Loki said.  “And trust me, Barnes, I would take very good care of that little angel of yours.  I may be hard to kill, but I know you’d find a way to do it if I even allowed one scratch on her.”

“Will you do it?”  Mina asked.

Stephen and Loki shared a look with one another.  Loki seemed thrilled at the prospect of watching over Alya.  Stephen sighed, “We will, but only if Bucky is in agreement and you take her back the second this is all over.”

All eyes shifted to the super soldier.  He let out a breath, “They can watch over her.”  He couldn’t deny that they were the best two to watch over his daughter.

Mina visibly relaxed, “Come get her around lunchtime tomorrow, we’ll have her packed up and ready to go.”

“Is there anything we should know?  Allergies? Anything we shouldn’t tell her?”  Stephen asked.

“No allergies as far as I’m aware,” Mina said.  “She’s never shown any signs. She doesn’t know about Bucky’s and my past.  We’re waiting until she’s older and understands more before we tell her. We also don’t know if she has any abilities like me.”

“We could test her,” Loki said nonchalantly.

“No,” Bucky said.  “I don’t want you to do anything that could have her powers manifesting.  I want her to lead as normal a life as possible.”

Loki held up his hands, “All right, we won’t test her magic abilities out.”

“I think that’s about it though,” Mina said.  “Otherwise she’s a pretty chill kid. She likes to read, but try to keep it as age appropriate as possible.”

“I won’t let her read the ancient texts then,” Stephen said dryly.

“Anything else?” Loki asked.

“Behave,” Bucky said.

Loki smirked, “I am always on my best behavior, Barnes.  Alya is in safe hands. I will treat her as if she is one of my own.”

“That’s all we ask,” Mina shot Bucky a look.

Stephen asked a few more questions, but soon he and Loki were gone leaving Mina and Bucky to tell the others where Alya was going to be staying and trying to explain it as simply as possible to their daughter.

 

“What do you mean Alya’s leaving?”  Pietro asked, his brows furrowed.

“I mean what I said, Piet,” Mina exhaled.  The others had not taken the news well. They liked having the little girl around.  “She needs to be protected and Stephen and Loki can do that.”

“So can we,” Wanda argued.  “She’s safe with us.”

“Does no one remember what happened with me and the Enclave?”  Mina questioned. The room became silent. “I just don’t want Alya to be here if something like that were to go down with HYDRA.  At least this way I know she’s safe and out of harm's way.”

“I don’t like this,” Peter said.  “My niece deserves to be here with the rest of us.”

Mina arched a brow, “Peter, Alya will be safe with her Uncle Stephen and Uncle Loki.”

“How come they get to be uncles?”  Sam asked. “They were never really around in the first place.”

“Guys, this is _  so _  not the point,” Mina said in exasperation.  “She’s going with Stephen and Loki so that they can protect her.  This isn’t permanent, she’ll be back and at least she’ll be safe.”

Pietro looked over at Bucky who had been quiet the entire time Mina was speaking.  “How are you so calm about this?”

Bucky looked over at Pietro, his eyes betraying the myriad of emotions he was feeling in that moment.  “I’m not, look I don’t want her to leave either. I just learned about her, I’m getting to know her, but Mina has a point.  I’m not going to go through what I went through with Mina with my own daughter. Mina was hard enough.”

The room fell silent, remembering the time when Bucky had been a shell of himself worried about Mina and what was going on with her.  They knew that if something happened to his daughter then he would be crushed. He wouldn’t handle it well either, he’d want to rip the world apart with his bare hands.

Tony stepped forward, “I think the two of them have a point.  Alya is our first priority, and if this means she’ll be out of harm's way then it’s what we need to do.  Now would all of you quit whining so that Bucky and Mina can go spend their final few hours with their daughter?”

No one spoke up after that and Mina and Bucky both got up to go tell Alya the news.  She was waiting for them in their room. She was playing with a set of dolls that T’Challa had given her for her birthday one year.  She looked up when her parents entered the room.

“Alya, we need to have a serious conversation,” Mina said as she took a seat beside her daughter.

“What is it?”  Alya asked.

Bucky sat down on the other side of Alya, his hand playing with the tips of her hair.  “You’re going to be leaving for a bit,” he told her.

She glanced over at her dad, “Why?”

“Mommy and Daddy have a lot that we need to do,” Mina continued.  “And we can’t have you here distracting us. So we’re sending you to stay with Stephen and Loki.  You remember them from the other day don’t you?” Alya nodded her head. “It won’t be for long, just until Mommy and Daddy can sort out their work problem.”

“Stephen and Loki have promised to take good care of you, and you can still call us.  We may even visit some,” Bucky assured her.

“But… but I want to stay here with you,” Alya looked back and forth between the two of them.  She just got them back together, they were a family. She didn’t want to leave.

“Lovebug,” Mina said softly.  “Remember when we were in Wakanda and Mommy would have to leave?”  Alya nodded. “You always liked staying with Auntie Shuri and the others right?”  Alya nodded. “Well, this is what this is. Mommy and Daddy are on a mission, but instead of us being the ones that have to leave, it’s you.”

Alya thought for a moment, “Okay.”

Mina and Bucky felt themselves relax.  “It won’t be for long, lovebug. Mommy promises.”  She kissed the top of Alya’s head. “And you leave tomorrow.  Please behave for Loki and Stephen, don’t ask them too many questions and don’t do anything they tell you not to do.”

“I’ll behave,” she promised her mother.

Alya still didn’t like the thought of leaving her parents like this, but if her mother was going on a mission then Alya knew she couldn’t go with her.  Mina would be back for her, she always was.

As Bucky and Mina packed Alya’s things, Mina prayed that they were making the right choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've started working on a 1940s Mina and Bucky story and oh my gods am I excited for it. It's gonna be an undertaking, but I think it's gonna be great.


	18. Chapter 18

_ “My darling Siren Song, you’re back with us again,” she heard Shinsky’s voice beside her ear.  Mina was standing in front of the Enclave again. She was in the navy blue dress that Shinsky had put her in when she had been captured by Caterina. _

_ The other Sirens were looking at her with bright smiles and clapping.  Mina shook her head, “No, no I wouldn’t come back.” _

_ “You freed me,” Shinsky came around to face her, a dreamy smile on his face.  “You freed me from the Raft prison. You’ve proven yourself to be loyal.” _

_ “Mommy!”  Mina’s attention snapped over to the sound of Alya’s voice.  She was standing in the middle of the room, one of the Enclave guards were standing before her. _

_ “Lovebug,” Mina’s voice came out as a whisper.  She looked at Shinsky, “What is she doing here?” _

_ The smile never shifted, “You brought her here.  We’re going to test her abilities. The daughter of our darling Siren Song and the Winter Soldier has to be powerful.” _

_ “No, you can’t do that to her!”  Mina screamed. “Bucky will come for you, he’ll stop you!” _

_ “Are you sure?”  Shinsky looked away from Mina and toward the doors that led out of the dining hall. _

_ Mina looked that way and saw several of the guards carrying a limp body between them.  One of them grabbed the dark hair of the man and yanked his head up. Mina’s hands went to her mouth when she saw Bucky beaten and bruised. _

_ She picked up her skirts and ran through the crowd toward Bucky.  She landed on her knees, “Bucky!” She slapped his face lightly trying to jar him awake.  “Bucky, please,” she begged. _

_ He cracked open his one eye that wasn’t swollen, “Why, doll?  Why did you betray us?” _

_ She shook her head, her breath catching in her throat, “I didn’t.” _

_ Suddenly the dream shifted and she was watching a monitor, “The Avengers have been killed by one Mina Gaspari.  Please be advised that she is considered dangerous. If you know anything about this woman please call the authorities immediately.” _

 

Mina woke up from a nightmare, a cold sweat forming on her brow.  Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest, and she felt like she couldn’t quite catch her breath.  She looked over to where Bucky was lying on his stomach, his face peaceful in the low light of their room.  He was safe and alive, so were the others. She hadn’t caused their deaths, she hadn’t freed Shinsky from the Raft prison. 

She closed her eyes and pushed her hair back.  Why did she have to dream of Shinsky the night after she had sent her daughter away?

She carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed and crept toward the door.   “Where are you going?” Bucky’s groggy voice made her freeze in her tracks.

She turned around and noticed that he was squinting at her, still half asleep.  “Go back to sleep,” she whispered to him. “I’m just gonna go get some water.”

He nodded absentmindedly and curled back up on the bed.  Mina waited until his breathing evened out again before slipping out of the room and heading down the hall for the kitchen.  She rubbed at her eyes and gently pushed the doors open.

She jumped when she saw the soft light from the refrigerator glowing in the darkness.  The figure standing in front of the glowing light turned, “Hey Witchy Woman.”

Mina relaxed at the sound of Peter’s voice, “You startled me, kid.”

“What have we said about calling me ‘kid’?”  He whined as she stepped up next to him and reached for a bottle of water.  “I am in my twenties now. I am an adult.”

She ruffled his hair, “You’re still a kid to me, Peter.  No matter how old you get you will always be my Spidey-Boy.”

He pulled her in for a hug, he had missed this when she was living in Wakanda, “How are you doing?  I know not having Alya here must be weird. The two of you were attached at the hip when you were living in Wakanda.”

“It’s still odd, but I feel better knowing that Strange and Loki are looking over her.”

“Don’t forget Wong,” Peter pointed out.

“Yes, Wong is the responsible one of the three of them.  I trust he’ll keep Loki and Strange in line long enough to protect my kid.”  Mina moved over to the fridge and grabbed a pint of ice cream. “What are you doing up? It’s like three in the morning.”

Peter took a swig of the soda that he had swiped from the fridge.  “I was working on some new wed fluid, just lost track of time. What are you doing up?”

Mina’s shoulders dropped as the dream came back to her.  “Had a nightmare,” she said. “I was back with the Enclave again and apparently I had killed all of you.”

Peter let out a low whistle, “That’s intense, I imagine going to see Shinsky and then sending Alya away brought it up.”  He covered her hand with his, “But you’re safe with us and so is Alya. We wouldn’t let that happen to you again.”

“I know, Peter.  I trust all of you to keep me and my daughter safe.  Just give me time to adjust to all of them, yeah?” She leaned over and kissed his cheek, “Get some sleep, kid.”

“Yes, Mom,” he said sarcastically.  He waved at her before disappearing out the door and heading to his room, leaving Mina alone in the dark kitchen.

She stayed there and ate her ice cream, trying to come down from her nightmare before heading back to bed.  When she made it back to her and Bucky’s room she crawled into bed and burrowed closer to Bucky. He woke, still groggy, but aware that his wife was snuggling next to him.

“What’s wrong?”  He asked.

“Nightmare,” she responded softly.  “Can we talk about it tomorrow? I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“Okay,” he said quietly.  “Try to get some sleep, doll.  I’ll be here.”

“I love you,” she murmured, breathing in his scent, calming her instantly.

 

In the morning Mina woke to Bucky stroking her hair and pressing light kisses to her neck.  She grinned and looked up into his blue eyes. “Isn’t this a nice way to wake up in the morning.”

He pecked her lips, “I thought after the nightmare you had last night some kisses were due.”

“You thought correctly,” she rolled so that she was straddling his hips, her hands splayed across his chest.  “Did you sleep better than me last night?”

He hummed and ran his hands up her sides, “I did because I had this really vivid dream about you and I on a beach somewhere, and we were doing naughty things to one another.”

She quirked an eyebrow, “Dirty things, huh?”  He nodded his head, “Well it’s a shame we aren’t on that beach right now because maybe we’d do those dirty things.”  She rolled off him with a laugh as he tried to reach for her. “But we have work that needs to be done.”

They got dressed and walked down the hall, their hands entwined as they went.  Mina recounted her dream to him, and he squeezed her hand, “I’m still here. You haven’t killed us and you won’t.”

“I know,” she said, her voice suddenly sounding tired.  “It was just so vivid that I wasn’t sure if it was just a dream until I woke up.”

Tony was pouring himself a cup of coffee when the two of them entered the room.  He didn’t look happy either and that worried Mina, “We have new intel on the Winter Soldiers.  They’re operating in the old base in Siberia.”

Bucky went stock still, he still had nightmares about that place.  Mina moved closer to him and put a hand on his chest. She knew what memories that place dragged up for him.  Steve was standing there as well, his hands braced on the counter, “It’s like they want us to come and find them.”

“They do,” San-ha said.  “It’s a trap, just like when they attacked that town in Ukraine.  They knew that you all would go there and they know we’ll come there.”

“Then we draw them out,” Mina said.  “We find a way.”

“The sirens have to go in first,” Natasha said.  “They can control the Winter Soldiers, and once they do we can move in and take the base.”

Bucky shook his head, “We can’t risk them like that.”

“Bucky,” Steve started to say. 

He shot his friend a look, “No!  We are no risking Mina’s and their lives.”

Mina pulled Bucky’s face so that he was looking at her, “Hey it’s okay.  We know our places. We’ll train before we go.”

“I wish we could test this on one of them first to see if would work,” San-ha said.  “What if Shinsky was lying to you?”

Mina shook her head, “No, Shinsky wouldn’t lie to us about this.  He needed a failsafe in case HYDRA ever tried to take control of the Siren program.  He wanted to make sure that we were loyal to him and only him.”

Bucky took in a deep breath and looked at his wife, “Turn me into the Winter Soldier, train with me.”

She shook her head, “No! No, I won’t do that to you.”

“You have to know and my trigger words won’t work anymore, Shuri made sure of that when I was in Wakanda.  You can turn me into the Winter Soldier again, the others can practice, you’ll have complete control over me.”  He cupped her face with his hands. “I trust you, doll. I always have and always will. I know you won’t do anything to me, make me do anything.”

Her dream began to replay in her head and she shook her head, “Not after that dream.  I can’t do that Bucky.”

“You’re not that woman in the dream, no one is controlling you, and you won’t let me hurt our friends.  I’m the closest thing you have to a Winter Soldier. Use me.”

“Mina,” Peter urged and she looked at her friend.  “It’ll be okay.”

She looked back at Bucky, “Are you sure?”

He nodded his head, there was pain in his eyes, “Yes.  I need to do this. For the team, for the others, for Alya.”  He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “We can begin training tomorrow.”

He released her and left the room leaving Mina feeling lost as she tried to come to terms with what he was asking of her.  Peter pulled her into his arms and then walked out of the room with her somewhere private so that she could deal with the conflict raging within her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy it's been a while since I've worked on this one. I'm sorry it's taken so long. I have so many other projects going on and to be honest I wasn't sure if I was going to continue you this one under this series. If you didn't know I have a rewrite I'm working on for this series. But I think I'll finish it here and then just add to it for the rewrite depending on how things go there. It may turn out a bit different at parts. I don't know. But I hope you all like this chapter, and feel free to check out the rewrite, I'm working on book two right now.


	19. Chapter 19

The sirens had gathered in the gym and were standing behind Mina, Bucky was facing them.  Mina’s heart was pounding as she stared up at her husband, “There’s still time, Buck. I don’t have to do this.”

He shook his head and took her hand, giving it a squeeze before releasing it, “No, we have to do this.  For Alya and for the rest of the world. HYDRA and those other Winter Soldiers need to be stopped and this is the only way we can see if a Winter Soldier can be controlled by a siren.”

“But we don’t know if it will work,” she said.  “You haven't been the Winter Soldier for so long now, they could be different.”

“Mina,” his voice was firmer.  “I will be all right. Now say the words.”

She moved off to the side, Shuri had told her to say his trigger words with her Siren speak and see what happened.  If they worked then she would most likely awaken the Winter Soldier. “Only your Siren speak will be strong enough to draw out his old programming.  Once you do you should be able to control him.”

“Should?”  Mina really didn’t like the sound of that.

“I know it sounds scary, but T’Challa and Steve will be there with something that will make him pass out.  They’ll bring him to me where I’ll keep him sedated until I’ve reversed his programming again.”

Taking a deep breath she began, “Желание.”  Bucky stiffened, the memory of the words flowing over him.  T’Challa and Steve stood at the ready as soon as they started noticing the difference in him.  “ Ржавый . Семнадцать. Рассвет. ”  She could see the change happening to him now, and she didn’t like it.  She hadn’t known him when he was like this, and tears were filling her eyes.  The others could see the toll it was taking on her doing this to him, but she continued.  “ Печь.  Девять.  Доброкачественный.  Возвращение на родину.  Один. Грузовой.”

“готов соблюдать,” he told her.

“Attack them,” she ordered him in English.

He stalked forward ready to take on the women in front of them.  The Bucky they had all come to know was nowhere to be seen in the man that was coming toward them now.

San-ha stood tall and said, “Stop.”

Bucky froze.  Mina sighed, “Soldier, attack!”

Another siren came forward and did the same, and each time he would freeze, not daring to come toward them.  When the exercise was over Mina quickly came over to Bucky’s side and said, “Buck? Can you hear me?” There was no reply, he stared at the wall with a blank look on his face.  “James Buchanan Barnes, you better come back to me this instant.”

The force behind her words made him blink and look down at her.  Slowly the haze of the Winter Soldier lifted and Bucky was staring at his wife, her face filled with worry.  “I’m okay, doll.”

She took his hand, “Let’s get you to Shuri.”  She tugged him from the room and moved down the halls every so often checking on him to make sure that he was still himself and not reverting back to the Winter Soldier.

Shuri put him under and quickly begin reworking his brain to make sure that no one else was able to recall his trigger words.  Steve joined Mina in the hall as she waited for Shuri to update her. “He did good today, and you had complete control over him.”

“I shouldn’t have had to have complete control over him,” she snapped at Steve.  “I shouldn’t have gone through with that. You know what he’s been through, how the Winter Soldier persona affected him.  I should have said no.”

“It was his choice too, Mina.  He knew the risks and he was willing to take them because he knew you weren’t going to be like his old handlers,” Steve reassured her.  “He probably would never allow another person but you to do that to him, that’s how much he loves and trusts you.”

She bit her lip, her eyes focused on the wall in front of her.  Steve didn’t say anything else, he just stood there with her as they waited for news from Shuri about Bucky’s condition.

 

“We’re not doing it again, we proved our point, the sirens can control the Winter Soldiers,” Mina and Bucky were in the kitchen together, Mina was making breakfast for herself. 

“You still need to train,” Bucky argued.

Mina slammed her hands down on the counter top, “No!  We trained with Shinsky. We can handle ourselves, I will not keep putting you through this.  I draw the line.”

“Then I’ll get one of the other girls to do it!”  He shouted.

She turned around and he took a step back when he noticed that her eyes were glowing turquoise.  “Don’t you even think about it, James.” He clenched his hands at his sides. “I refuse to watch you like that and I’m not going to have Shuri reprogram you every time we do this.”

“I’m just trying to help,” he said in a frustrated tone.

“And you will, by being yourself and protecting our daughter as James Barnes, not the Winter Soldier,” she told him.

The door opened and Mina’s parents stepped inside.  “We heard shouting,” Alia said.

“We’re fine,” Mina said as she stormed out of the room.

She found herself outside and sat down under the tree that she and Bucky had sat under once upon a time when he tried to help her remember who she was.  “Little Mina,” Pietro appeared in front of her. “Try not to be so hard on Bucky. He’s just as worried as you are.”

He took a seat beside her as she rested her head on her knees, “He’s being idiotic.  Can’t he see that this could set him back?”

“I think it’s up to him to decide what he can and can’t handle,” Pietro pointed out.  “It is his own mind after all.”

“He won’t admit it if he was having trouble or not,” she said.  “He wants to help, but he’s willing to put himself through this pain to do it, and I can’t allow him to suffer as well.”

“As well?”

Mina blew out a breath, “This has brought back a lot of memories for me.  I’m sure that there being new Winter Soldiers is bringing back memories for him too, but for me, all I keep thinking about is my time with Shinsky.  I know they want Alya as well. I just don’t want to see Bucky fall back into the man he was and I definitely don’t want what happened to me happen to my daughter.”

“Trust in each other,” Pietro said.  “Before you left the two of you trusted one another, and I know you still do.  Tensions are high, but they’ve been high before. Don’t let the pressure destroy what the two of you have together.”  He squeezed her shoulder and stood up.

Mina stayed outside for a little while longer mulling over what he had said to her before heading back into the compound to find Bucky.  She went to their room first and didn’t find him there so she tried the gym and discovered him pounding away on a punching bag.

He stopped when he saw her enter the room.  She was rubbing her arm and she couldn’t meet his gaze.  “I’m sorry,” she told him. She looked up, her eyes filled with tears.  “I’m sorry I yelled at you and got frustrated, I’m just scared.”

Bucky came over and wrapped his arms around her, he rested his head on top of hers.  “I’m sorry too, we shouldn’t be fighting with one another right now, and I get it. I get that it’s hard for you to see me like that, it was hard for me to see you when you were brainwashed.  I’m just… I just want to get this over with.”

“So do I, Buck.  I want to wipe HYDRA from the map and we can’t do that if we’re fighting with one another all the time.  Pietro said that we trusted one another in the past when he had been in tough situations like this, and he was right we did and we need to get back there.  We need to be the old Mina and Bucky again. Kicking ass and taking names.”

He chuckled, “That we can do, doll.”

She let out a shaky breath, “If… if you want to do the test over again then I won’t stop you, but just know I don’t like it.”

“No, we’re not going to do that again.  You were right, Shinsky did have you trained to go up against situations like this, you all are prepared.  We just needed to make sure he hadn’t been lying. It’s not easy going against one’s programming, but with how powerful you all are I’m sure you’ll have no trouble turning the Winter Soldiers.”

“So we’re good?”

“Yeah, doll.  We’re good.”

 

Derek’s eyes danced across the screen in front of him.  They had moved her. He knew they would, and he wasn’t sure if they would be able to get to her now.  “Sir?” One of the HYDRA agents came forward, a folder in his hands.

“What is it?”  Derek snapped at the younger man.  “I’m busy.”

“The Winter Soldiers, sir.  They could break into the sanctum,” the agent said.  “They could go unnoticed.”

Derek had already considered this, “We’re talking about sorcerers here, Agent.  We can’t afford to lose this batch of soldiers. They were hard enough to break in the first place, and I won’t have some second rate kid’s magician fucking this up for us.”  He turned to look at the agent, “And don’t forget that there is a god with them. One that can cause illusions. We can’t let them know what our plan is. We need the child’s DNA.”

“They can do it,” the agent insisted.

Derek studied the agent, “Fine.  Send the soldiers, but if they mess up, it’s your life.”

The agent nodded and quickly left the room.

 

Mina was in the gym training with Peter when her phone went off.  She recognized the ringtone as Strange’s. Thinking it was Alya calling she hurried over and picked it up.  “Mina, something’s happened,” she didn’t like the tone of Strange’s voice.

Mina’s blood started racing, “Alya?”

“We don’t know how....”  Strange said. “The sanctum is supposed to be safe.  They broke in and took her.”

Mina dropped her phone and Peter barely caught her before she collapsed to the floor.  “F.R.I.D.A.Y. get Bucky and alert Mr. Stark that HYDRA has Alya.” Mina barely heard anything over the sound of her blood rushing in her ears.

HYDRA had her daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I got the Russian right for his trigger words and then "Ready to comply." I had to look them up online cuz I don't speak Russian, so fingers crossed. And if any of them are wrong and someone knows Russian, please let me know.


End file.
